JAMES D. AITKEN

In compiling this volume of representative citizens of Whatcom county occasion has been afforded to give the records of men in many walks of life, and at this juncture we are permitted to offer a resume of the career of one of the enterprising citizens and up-to-date farmers of Ferndale township, where he has attained a high measure of success in his chosen field of labor and enterprise. James D. Aitken was born in Quincy, Illinois, September 8, 1877, and is a son of John and Annie (Marshall) Aitken, both of whom were natives of Airdrie, Scotland, where the father was born January 19, 1841, and the mother, March 22, 1850. The father is now deceased, and his widow later became the wife of Edwin Lopas, who came to the United States in 1879, lived in the east one year and then came to Washington. In 1880 he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land near Ferndale, and in connection with the clearing of the land and the operation of the ranch he also worked at his trade, that of carpenter, in Ferndale. He was an active and energetic man and was well liked by all who knew him, and his death was regretted by the entire community. To John and Annie Aitken were born the following children: Mrs. James Brown, John M., who is game warden for Whatcom county; Mrs. A. S. Wilson, of Everett, Washington; James D., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Charles Culp, of Seattle; Mrs. Effie Seaman, of Bellingham; and Mrs. Violet Collier, of Seattle.

James D. Aitken received his education in the Enterprise district school and then was for several years employed in logging camps. After the death of his step-father [father] he came home and ran the ranch for his mother until his marriage, in 1915, since which time he has been operating seventy-three acres of his mother's farm which he has leased. He has twenty-five acres in hay and grain and keeps eight good grade milk cows. He is a thoroughly practical farmer, exercising sound judgment in the management of his place, and his efforts have been rewarded with a fine measure of prosperity.

On April 29, 1915, Mr. Aitken was married to Miss Lottie Manning, who was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, a daughter of William and Sarah (Smith) Manning, the former of whom was a native of England and the latter of Canada. Mr. Manning bought a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres on the Nooksack river, near Ferndale, in 1888, and was engaged in farming there until 1919, when he retired and moved to Ferndale, where his death occurred February 11, 1922. His widow is now living at that place. To this worthy couple were born five children, namely: Lottie, Mrs. Aitken; William, of Bellingham; Harriet, who lives in California; Mrs. Doris Oliver, of Monroe; and Lionel, who lives in Ferndale and is a student in the state Agricultural College at Pullman. To Mr. and Mrs. Aitken have been born two children: Phyllis, born March 23, 1916; and Colin, born February 15, 1918. Mr. Aitken's career has been characterized by unceasing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods which he has followed have resulted not only in his own material success but also in gaining for him the unbounded confidence and good will of all with whom he has come in contact.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 873-874.

EARL ANDERSON

The late Earl Anderson was one of the honored pioneers of Whatcom county who aided in laying the foundation on which has been erected the superstructure of the community's present prosperity and progress. Through the period of early development he was an important factor in the advancement of material, civic and moral affairs, and no man stood higher in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. His popularity was well deserved, for in him were embraced the characteristics of unbending integrity, unabating energy and an industry that never flagged. Nothing could swerve him from what he believed to be the right path and his upright life commanded universal respect.

Mr. Anderson was a native of Sweden, born on the 5th of December, 1858, and he was a son of Aaron Anderson. He received his education in the public schools of his native land and remained there until 1883, when he came to the United States, locating in Michigan, where he remained about two years. In 1885 Mr. Anderson came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Delta township, three and a half miles northwest of Lynden, the land at that time being partly swamp, the remainder being covered with brush and timber. He cleared up all of this tract, which meant a prodigious amount of hard and persistent physical labor, and in the course of time found himself in possession of as fine a farm as could be found in his section of the county. Here he continued to follow farming operations until his death, which occurred October 10, 1917. He was an indefatigable worker, exercised sound judgment in his business affairs and maintained his farm at a high standard of improvement, being regarded by his fellow citizens as an enterprising and progressive agriculturist. He was deeply interested in the welfare of his community and was one of the founders of the Swedish Baptist church at Delta, contributing freely of his means and his personal labor in the building of the original church structure, which was erected thirty-five years ago and which was later replaced by a larger and more pretentious building. Genial and friendly, kindly and generous, he easily made friends and throughout the community  where so many active years of his life were spent he held a high place.

Mr. Anderson was married three times, first in 1888, to Miss Tilda Olson, who died in December, 1895. To this union were born four children, namely: Bettie, who was graduated from the State Normal school at Bellingham and is now engaged in missionary work in this state; Ellen, who is graduated from the State Normal school and is now teaching in the public schools at Chelan, Washington; Arthur, who is a machinist and lives in Los Angeles, California; and Elmer, deceased. In 1897 Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Bertha Nelson, who died September 3, 1903, leaving a daughter, Mary, who was graduated from Wilson's Business College in Bellingham and is now employed in an office in Seattle. On May 5, 1906, Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Carrie Delin, who was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1887. She is a daughter of Nels and Ingret (Johnson) Delin, both of whom were natives of Sweden and brought their family to the United States in 1887. They first settled in Minnesota, where they lived until 1902, when they came to Whatcom county and bought forty acres of partly cleared land, on which the father is now living. His wife died in Minnesota in 1899. To Earl and Carrie Anderson were born three children, namely: Ruth, born January 25, 1907, who was graduated from the Lynden high school and is now attending the State Normal School at Bellingham; Philip, born February 8, 1908, who is at home; and Mildred, born August 30, 1909, who is a student in the Lynden high school. In 1922 the homestead was sold and the proceeds divided among the widow and children. Mrs. Anderson then bought eighteen acres of land near the Swedish Baptist church in Delta township and is now very comfortably situated there. She keeps several good Holstein cows and has a nicely improved place, her land being all cleared. She is a woman of fine personal qualities and gracious manner and enjoys marked popularity in the circles in which she moves.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 205-206.

DAVID H. BERG

The true western spirit of progress and enterprise is strikingly exemplified in the lives of such men as David H. Berg, whose energetic natures and laudable ambitions have enabled them to conquer many adverse conditions and advance steadily to leading positions in their respective vocations. David H. Berg is a worthy representative of this class and is now a prominent figure in agricultural circles of Whatcom county, having been successfully engaged in farming, with its kindred lines, in Nooksack township for a number of years, gaining an enviable reputation because of his up-to-date methods and his farsightedness.

Mr. Berg is a native of Pennsylvania, born on the 16th of August, 1860, and is a son of Samuel and Priscilla (Hostetler) Berg, who also were natives of the old Keystone state, the father born November 12, 1827, and the mother January 27, 1832. They are both deceased, the father dying April 2, 1890, and the mother June 16, 1914. Samuel Berg went to Minnesota in 1867 and bought a farm, which at that time was covered with a fine growth of hardwood timber. He cleared most of the land, which he cultivated until 1883, when he sold it and came to Whatcom county, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land in Nooksack township, one and a half miles east of Everson. This land was also densely wooded, but he went to work and in the course of a few years had created a fine homestead. He was an indomitable and untiring worker and gained the universal respect of his neighbors and fellow citizens. To him and his wife were born nine children, seven of whom are living, namely: John L.; Fred L., who lives in Idaho; David H.; Benjamin, who died in infancy; Samuel, deceased; Mrs. Annie Germain; Mrs. Mary Germain; J. H.; and Aaron L., who lives in California.

David H. Berg was a lad of seven years when the family moved to Minnesota and in the public schools of that state he secured his education. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for himself, following the lumber business there until the spring of 1890, when he came to Whatcom county and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres on the 29th of May 1883. The land was heavily covered with fir and cedar timber, and one of his first acts was to build a small cabin of split cedar lumber. He then entered upon the task of clearing the land and getting it under cultivation. He also showed good judgment at that time in planting a two acre orchard, mainly of apple and cherry trees, which is now one of the valuable features of the farm. He has more recently planted a considerable number of filbert trees, having demonstrated their adaptability to the soil and climate of this locality. He and a neighbor, Mr. Altman, are the pioneers in this venture, and it is entirely within the bounds of probability that they have led the way into what may prove a very profitable and important industry. He raises grain and hay for feed, keeping three good milk cows, and his place is well improved, its general appearance indicating him to be a man of sound judgment and excellent taste.

Mr. Berg is a prohibitionist in his political creed and stands stanchly for everything that is best in community life, being a man of positive and well grounded opinions and the courage of his convictions. He is a member and treasurer of the Grange at Nooksack. He is an earnest student and thoughtful reader, possessing a splendid library of the best of the classics and current literature, and is well and accurately informed on a wide range of subjects. His library contains over five hundred well selected volumes of which he is justly proud. He is an energetic man and in addition to the operation of his farm, he had identified himself with other affairs, having, in company with his brother Fred, Rufus Stearns and  Manning Cudworth, run a sawmill and a grist mill for about three years on Sumas creek. In 1921 the old cedar house he first built on the place was replaced by a fine, modern home, convenient in arrangement and attractive in appearance, and which has added greatly to the value of the property. Because of his fine character, ability and friendliness, he is deservedly popular throughout the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 526-529.

WILLIAM J. BLOWERS

Among the earliest settlers in northwestern Washington was the Blowers family, of which the subject of this sketch is a worthy representative. He himself has had an active part in the development and progress of this locality, and because of his accomplishments, fine public spirit and excellent character, he has long held a high place in the esteem and regard of the entire community. W. J. Blowers was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, on the 21st of October, 1853, and is a son of George W. Blowers, who was a native of Washington county, New York, where he carried on farming operations. In 1871 the father brought his family to Washington, locating on Whidbey Island, where he remained until 1900, when he came with the subject to the present homestead, where his death occurred in 1905 1908, at the advanced age of ninety-three years. His wife, whose maiden name was Lydia E. Merritt, was a native of Pennsylvania. Her family had come to this locality in an early day and located at Oak Harbor. George W. and Lydia Blowers had three children - the subject of this sketch; A. D., of Seattle; and Mrs. Ruby Watson, now deceased.

W. J. Blowers received his education in the public schools of his native state and then devoted himself to working on the home farm. He accompanied the family on their removal to Washington in 1871 and soon afterward located on his maternal grandmother's farm at Oak Harbor, which he operated until the owner's death, when he received the farm by inheritance. He remained there about thirty years altogether, though in later years he also gave some attention to the land on which he now lives and which, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, he had preempted in 1884. At that time there were no roads or other improvements, and his land was in the midst of a wilderness of timber and brush, in which roamed bears, deer and cougars, while there were also plenty of wild geese. He finally proved up on this place and in 1900 came here to live, from that time on devoting himself closely to it. He cleared about eighty acres of the land, which was rich and fertile bottom soil but which required considerable ditching and draining before it was in shape for cultivation. During the war period Mr. Blowers rented his place for about five years but returned to it in the fall of 1918. About 1923 he rented one hundred acres of it to his son, retaining about forty acres for himself, which he cultivates in order to have something to do, though he is now practically retired from active labor. He made many good improvements on the place, which is one of the best farms in this locality, and he has always enjoyed the reputation of a man of progressive and up-to-date ideas.

In 1898 Mr. Blowers was married to Miss Sarah A. Ferris, who was born in Wisconsin, and they have one child, Alvah Ellis, who lives on the home farm and who was married to Miss Doris Bailey, of Lynden, a sketch of whose family appears elsewhere in this work. To the latter union was born a son, Robert. Mr. Blowers is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He relates many extremely interesting incidents of early days in this locality and vividly describes conditions as they then existed. Speaking of traveling accommodations, he recalls that on one occasion, desiring to go to Seattle, he walked to Bellingham but arrived there five minutes too late for the boat and had to wait a week for the next boat. In those days he did the most of his trading at Ten Mile or Everson, seldom going to Lynden. He is a man of alert and vigorous mentality and has always kept closely in touch with the public affairs of his community, cooperating at all times with his fellow citizens in all worthy movements and at every opportunity advocating and working for the improvement of local conditions. Because of his public spirit, hospitality, friendly disposition and excellent character, he had held a deservedly high place in the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 369-370.

JOHN and JOHN REESE BRUNS

John Reese Bruns, who represents one of the old and highly esteemed families of Acme township, is devoting his energies to the cultivation of the soil and ably continues the work begun by his father. He was born in Whatcom county in 1893 and his parents, John and Sallie (Cox) Bruns, were married in Acme township. The father was a native of Germany and the mother's birth occurred in Tennessee. John Bruns came to Whatcom county about 1883 and took up the first homestead on the south fork of the Nooksack valley. He hewed a farm out of the wilderness and with the assistance of Julius Ulrick [Ulrich] made the first trail in this locality. He possessed the true spirit of the pioneer, looking ever beyond the trials and difficulties of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future, and eventually brought his land to a high state of development. He served on the school board and was actuated at all times by unselfish motives and high ideals. He was removed from his sphere of usefulness in 1907 and is survived by the mother. Their daughter, Anna Meta, is the wife of H. N. Lints, who is operating a portion of the Bruns homestead.

John R. Bruns was educated in the public schools of Whatcom county and has always lived on the home farm, of which he now has charge. He is thoroughly familiar with agricultural conditions in this section and knows the best methods of coping with them. He brings to his daily tasks an intelligent, open and liberal mind and keeps in close touch with all new developments in his line of work. He follows an independent course in politics, voting according to the dictates of his judgment, and is a young man of progressive ideas and exemplary character, esteemed and respected by the residents of this locality, with whom his life has been spent.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 668.

HENRY ARLINGTON CASSILS

Henry Arlington Cassils, one of Everson's self-made men, is engaged in general merchandising and is also a successful agriculturist. He was born May 5, 1880, in Norfolk county, Ontario, and his parents, William Henry and Jennie (Wrightman) Cassils, were likewise Canadians, both being natives of that province. The father came to northwestern Washington in 1888, locating in Sehome, now a part of Bellingham, and sent for his family in 1890. Through his skill as a carpenter he contributed materially toward the upbuilding of the city, in which he still make his home, but the mother has passed away.

Henry A. Cassils attended the public schools of Bellingham, and after his education was completed he was employed as a clerk, becoming well acquainted with mercantile affairs. He also engaged in railroad work and for a time filled a position in a shingle mill. When he had accumulated sufficient capital he established a business of his own, opening a confectionery store at the corner of D and Holly streets in Bellingham, and was afterward a traveling salesman, representing an oil company. Subsequently he became a street car employee and was also a clerk in a cigar store. In 1921 he invested in land in Lawrence township, purchasing a tract of forty acres, and the place is now known as Cassils' Corner. He has developed a fine farm and raises many varieties of bulbs. His store contains a large and carefully selected stock of general merchandise and a liberal patronage in indicative of his standing as a business man. He handles automobile accessories and also operates an oil filling station. Mr. Cassils is able to scatter his energies without lessening their power and is constantly expanding the scope of his activities as opportunity offers. He is likewise the owner of a poultry ranch and in its operation follows scientific methods.

On December 3, 1900, Mr. Cassils was married to Miss Lida B. Powell, a native of Humboldt county, California. Her father, William C. Powell, was born in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, in 1836 and went to Minnesota in 1857. He remained in that state until 1860 and then stated for the Pacific coast, spending three years in California. He lived in Nevada from 1863 until 1865 and then returned to the Golden state, in which he was engaged in prospecting for some time. In 1870 he married Miss Jennie G. Burr, who was born in Connecticut and made the journey to California in 1866. To their union were born two daughters: Lida B., and Louise M., now deceased. The family came to northwestern Washington in March, 1883, and Mr. Powell conducted the Whatcom House, becoming widely known as one of the pioneer hotel men of the bay district. He was also active in public affairs and served for many years on the Whatcom council. After severing his connection with the hotel business he lived retired until his death. His wife reached the venerable age of eighty-three years, passing away March 19, 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Cassils have a daughter, Mrs. Charles Riley. Mr. Riley was formerly a resident of Van Zandt but is now conducting the Cassils gas station. Mr. Cassils is a stanch democrat in his political views but has never sought office as a reward for party fealty. He is thoroughly imbued with the progressive spirit of the west and has been very successful in all of his undertakings. His integrity has never been open to question and his worth as a citizen is uniformly acknowledged.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 876-877.

CARL COZIER, M. D. C.

Dr. Carl Cozier, dean of veterinary surgeons in Whatcom county, a practitioner in Bellingham since 1905 and the only graduate veterinarian of more than twenty years standing in the county, was born on a farm in Linn county, Oregon, August 12, 1874, and is a son of John C. and Alice (Gray) Cozier, the latter of whom also was born at Pilot Rock, that state, a daughter of Caleb Gray, who came in over the old Oregon trail in 1852 and settled in what now is Linn county in the days before the government survey had been made there. John C. Cozier went to Oregon from Iowa in the late '60s and after his marriage established his home in Linn county but presently disposed of his holdings there and came to Washington, locating in 1877 in Whitman county, where he remained until his retirement in 1904, when he removed to Bellingham, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, his death occurring in 1911 and hers in 1913.

Reared on the home farm in Whitman county, this state, to which place his parents had moved when he was but three years of age, Carl Cozier was there educated and grew up familiar with farm operations. He early became interested in the treatment of the ailments of domestic animals. In 1898 he entered the Washington State College, taking courses in agriculture, horticulture and veterinary medicine. In good time he decided to adopt veterinary surgery as a profession and in furtherance of this end entered the Chicago Veterinary College and in the spring of 1905 was graduated from that institution. In that year he began practice at Bellingham where he has since been located, covering more than twenty years, making him the oldest member of his profession in continuous practice here. In the fall following his location in Bellingham Dr. Cozier erected his veterinary hospital at 311 Lottie street and as growing demands required has extended that institution until it long has been recognized as one of the best equipped and most completely appointed veterinary hospitals in the state. Dr. Cozier is widely known in his profession throughout the state and for almost fourteen years served as secretary and treasurer of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association. He made the first technical test for tubercular cattle in Whatcom county, has for years been recognized as an authority along that line and is now rendering efficient public service as city milk inspector for Bellingham.

In 1904, in Whitman county, Dr. Cozier was united in marriage to Miss Emily H. Goldsworthy and they have three children, Lois, Elizabeth and Philip. Mrs. Cozier was born in California but has been a resident of Washington since the days of her childhood, her father, John H. Goldsworthy, having moved from California to Whitman county with his family when she was a young girl. Dr. and Mrs. Cozier are members of the United Presbyterian church. They have a pleasant home in Bellingham and have ever given their interested and helpful attention to the good works of the community, as well as to its general social affairs, and have done well their part in promoting such movements as have been designed to advance the common welfare.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 797-798.

SIMON J. CRAFT

Simon J. Craft is proprietor of the largest shoe store in Bellingham and has the distinction of being the oldest merchant in continuous service in that city, having been engaged in business here from the days before there even was a Bellingham, his first store having been opened in 1889 in Fairhaven. In 1891, the year in which "new" and "old" Whatcom were consolidated under the name of New Whatcom, he moved his shoe store to the latter place and was there in 1901, when by legislative enactment this name lost its "New" and became simply Whatcom, a name that in turn was lost two years later, when in 1903 Fairhaven and Whatcom were consolidated and incorporated under the present name of Bellingham.

Mr. Craft thus has been a witness to and a participant in the various changes which have been made both in municipal and material development here and has been an influential and helpful factor in that progress, one of the real veterans in the commercial life of this favored region.

Mr. Craft was born in the city of Geneseo, McHenry county, Illinois, in 1868, and in that year his parents, S. J. and Elizabeth Craft, moved to Fairbault, Minnesota. The father has passed away and his widow is now a resident of Mason City, Iowa. Simon J. Craft was a thorough student in his boyhood and after preparing for college was sent to Notre Dame University, where he was graduated in 1889, the year in which he attained his majority. Attracted by the glowing reports then reaching eastern points regarding the development of the west he came to the coast immediately following his graduation and was employed as bookkeeper in a mercantile establishment in Seattle, but had not been there long until he and John O'Brien, attracted by the promise of rapid development in the Bay country came up here and in the fall of 1889 opened a shoe store in the Fairhaven settlement. The change to the Whatcom side two years later has been noted above, Mr. Craft's store there having been established at the corner of Holly street and Railroad avenue. In 1919 he moved his store to its present advantageous site at 126 East Holly street, where he has what is recognized as the largest and most complete line of footwear in the city. As the oldest merchant in continuous business in Bellingham Mr. Craft has the history of commercial development here "at his tongue's end," and when in a reminiscent mood has many a good story to tell of the changes he has witnessed during more than thirty-five years of mercantile experience here. As a matter of interesting historical reference it may be said that Mr. Craft was the owner of the first automobile brought to Bellingham, a two-cylinder Ford car he bought in 1905 and which was an object of great local interest until other cars presently began to come in and detract from that initial glory. Mr. Craft has done well in business and in addition to his store has other interests of a substantial character, including a fine ranch, and is one of the influential stockholders of the First National Bank of Bellingham.

On the 3d of September, 1890, at Waseca, Minnesota, Mr. Craft was united in marriage to Miss Mae Burke, who was born in Minnesota, daughter of John and Ellen Burke, whose last days were spent in Portland, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Craft have a daughter, Elizabeth, who married John N. Cox, Jr., of Waycross, Georgia, now in the United States navy, and has a son, Robert Cox. Mr. and Mrs. Craft are members of the Roman Catholic church and have ever been helpful in promoting local parish affairs. Mr. Craft is a veteran member of the local council of the Knights of Columbus and is one of the trustees of the Bellingham Golf and Country Club. He is an active member of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Cougar Club and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Politically he is a republican.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 509-510.

WILLIAM W. FAIRBURN

William W. Fairburn, president and manager of the Tulip Creamery Company of Bellingham, producers of the widely known and popular "Tulip" brand of dairy products, ice cream, butter and the like, is a native of the old Hawkeye state, born on a farm in Davis county, Iowa, April 7, 1879, and he is a son of William and Mary (Smock) Fairburn, who came to Washington in 1898 and here spent the remainder of their lives.

William W. Fairburn was reared to farming and stock raising and finished his education in a business college. In 1895, when sixteen years of age, he went to Idaho, where he was for several years employed in the mines and on cattle ranges, and in 1899, his parents meanwhile having come to Washington, he disposed of such interests as he had acquired in Idaho and came to this state, with a view to becoming engaged in the live stock business at Everett. Two years later, in 1901, he came to Bellingham and here was placed in charge of the grocery department of The Fair store. Not long afterward he went to Spokane and there became the manager of the Ridpath Hotel. Three years later he engaged in the hotel business on his own account at Toppenish but presently disposed of his hotel there and took over a hotel at Snohomish. He subsequently traded that hotel for some cattle and resumed to the live stock business, a line he followed until 1914, when he returned to Bellingham and was installed as assistant to the manager of the Royal dairy, in charge of the production end of that business. In April, 1921, Mr. Fairburn promoted the organization of the Tulip Creamery Company, was elected president and treasurer of the concern and became general manager of the plant, with Roy Staunton as vice president and O. M. Shepard as secretary. This company was started with a capitalization of ten thousand dollars and has been developed until now it owns a building for which it has refused fifty-five thousand dollars, and it has besides an equipment valued at an additional thirty-five thousand dollars. This equipment includes an up-to-date ice plant and a well established retail store. The bulk of the business, however, is conducted on a wholesale basis. The popularity of the "Tulip" brand of ice cream, butter and kindred products turned out at the plant of the Tulip Creamery Company bespeaks in unmistakable terms the high standard of the operations carried on there under Mr. Fairburn's direction, and the demand for these products is a continually growing one.

In 1902, at Everett, Mr. Fairburn was united in marriage to Miss Pearl Rickard, a daughter of L. Rickard of that place, and they have a daughter, Miss Shirley Fairburn. Mr. and Mrs. Fairburn are republicans and have ever been attentive to local civic affairs. Mr. Fairburn is an active and influential member of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce and of the Kiwanis Club, is a Scottish Rite Thirty-second degree Mason and is also affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the World and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 167-168.

EMMA (KILCUP) GRANDQUIST

Wholly devoted to home and domestic duties, doing through all the best years of her life the lowly but sacred work that comes within her sphere, there is not much to record concerning the life of the average woman. And yet what station so dignified, what relation so endearing, what office so tender and ennobling as those of home-making, wifehood and motherhood. In the settlement of Whatcom county woman bore her full share of hardships, and privations, helping man in his toilsome work, cheering him when discouraged, sharing his dangers, rejoicing in his success, and quietly and unostentatiously doing her part. Among this courageous band of women whose efforts contributed in a definite measure to the development of this section, specific mention should be made of Mrs. Emma Grandquist, who is one of the best known and most beloved women of her community.

Her father, Daniel Kilcup, was born in Nova Scotia, where he was reared and educated. In the early '60s he came down the Frazier river on a scow, on which were his cattle and goods, and landed at Edison, a few miles north of Bellingham, where for a time he was engaged in logging. In 1865, or possibly a little prior to that date, he went to Bellingham, where he worked in the coal mines. He also served as a captain of the boats on the bay, for he had gone to sea at the age of twelve years and thus was experienced on the water. About 1870 he and his brother-in-law, Henry West, came to Lynden and took up a homestead. Their journey to this was not an easy trip, as they had to come up the Nooksack river in canoes, under the guidance of "Old Captain John," an Indian. At that time they were in the midst of a veritable wilderness, there being not even a trail to their land. Here Mr. Kilcup entered upon the formidable task of clearing the land of the dense growth of trees and brush which covered it. The wood around them were filled with wild animals, including bears, deers and cougars, and they had to be constantly on their guard. Once a year he walked to Bellingham, where he did his trading, but a other times his goods were brought up the river to him by Indians. He slashed about twenty acres of this land and cultivated it between the stumps. In those days the neighbors cooperated in helping each other clear their land, and 'logging bees' were a common event. The spirit of mutual helpfulness was more in evidence then at the present time.

Here Mr. Kilcup lived until his death, which occurred in 1888, about the time the first railroad through here was under construction. He was married to Miss Harriet Fillerdue, who was born in eastern Canada, of an old French family, her marriage to Mr. Kilcup occurring in British Columbia. She died October 17, 1918. To Mr. and Mrs. Kilcup were born thirteen children, namely: Captain John, who lives in Oregon, is married and has six children, and who was one of the first to run river boats up the Nooksack river; Sarah, who died when about fourteen years of age; Mrs. Louisa Pease, of Los Angeles, California, who is the mother of three sons; Mrs. Mary Coffin of Los Angeles, the mother of three children; Mrs. Margaret Murphy, who lived at Lynden but is now deceased, leaving five children; Mrs. Agnes Bratt, of Los Angeles; Emma, the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Annie Hill, of Lynden, who has three children; Daniel and Charlie, who died in infancy; Robert, of Portland, Oregon, who is married and has six children; Dillon, of Lynden, who is married and has a son; and Mrs. Edith Heallander, of Bellingham.

Emma Kilcup secured her early education in the school at Nooksack Crossing, which she attended three months a year, Mrs. C.I. Roth being her teacher. In 1904 she became the wife of E.J. Grandquist, who was born in Sweden, whence he and three sisters came to the United States together. His father, Eric Grandquist, never left his native land and there his death occurred. E.J. Grandquist came to Whatcom county about 1889, when Fairhaven was started, having been in Tacoma for a few years prior to that time. He was a lumber man by vocation, having worked in sawmills in his younger days, but in later years he took up the work of the ministry, being for five years prior to his marriage pastor of the Independent Free Thought Bible Spiritual Society. Following his marriage Mr. Grandquist did a good deal of farming in addition to his ministerial labors. After completing her schooling, Mrs. Grandquist took care of her mother, living on the home place until 1922 when they moved to Bellingham, where they lived until Mr. Grandquist's death, which occurred October 9, 1924. She then returned to the old home place, where she is now living.

Mr. and Mrs. Grandquist had done a good deal of effective work in improving the farm, having cleared over sixty acres of the land, which is now one of the splendid and productive farms of this locality. She is now giving her attention mainly to dairy farming, in which she is meeting with splendid success, keeping fifteen good grade cows, and also has five acres in berries. She is a good business women, handling her affairs with sound judgment and discrimination, and has a very comfortable and attractive home. To Mr. and Mrs. Grandquist were born two children, Paul and Dorothy, both of whom are in high school. Mr. Grandquist was a man of good education, was a deep thinker and had the courage of his convictions. He possessed a forceful personality and wielded a wide influence among those with whom he was bought in contact. Kindly and generous, friendly and courteous, he was in the highest esteem throughout this community, where he had a host of warm and loyal friends. Mrs. Grandquist is a woman of charming qualities, gracious and tactful in manner, and has long enjoyed the respect and admiration of the entire community, where she is widely and favorably known.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 381-382.

JACOB HABLUTZEL

With the history of agricultural progress in Whatcom county the name of Jacob Hablutzel has been closely identified for more than forty years and as one of the pioneer settlers of Lawrence township he is widely known and highly esteemed. A native of Switzerland, he was born May 24, 1861, and his parents, Martin and Elizabeth Hablutzel, were lifelong residents of that country. In 1882, when a young man of twenty-one, he severed home ties and sought the opportunities of the United States. He lived for a time in Ohio and in 1884 came to Whatcom county. In 1885, before the land was surveyed, he settled in the northern part of Lawrence township, at that time a wilderness far removed from civilization. The nearest store, conducted by William Moultry, was five miles distant, and at Nooksack Crossing there was another store, of which Mrs. John Simpson was the proprietor. After the township was surveyed Mr. Hablutzel homesteaded a quarter section, and of this he now retains eighty acres. He has cleared most of the land, converting it into a productive tract, and has built a fine home. He also operates a dairy on his ranch and specializes in pure bred Guernsey cattle. He is an exponent of the scientific school of farming and his well improved homestead, equipped with labor-saving devices and supplied with modern conveniences, is convincing proof of his up-to-date methods. His uncle, Herman Wusher, came to the township in 1881 and homesteaded land in the vicinity of Mr. Hablutzel's ranch, spending the remainder of his life in this district.

In 1906 Mr. Hablutzel married miss Lottie Howarth, who was born in Kentucky and came to Whatcom county in 1905. They have a son, Ray, who is eighteen years of age. Mr. Hablutzel is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and exercises his right of franchise in support of the candidates and measures of the republican party. He left home a poor boy and through the exercise of the qualities of industry, perseverance and self-denial has reached the goal of prosperity, gaining at the same time the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen, for high principles have guided him in all relations of life.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 532-533.

ANDREW HANSEN

Another of the sterling sons of Norway who left his native land for this country of great opportunity and, after making various investigations, decided that Whatcom county appealed to him more than did any other locality, is Andrew Hansen, of Ferndale township, a man who, owing to his habits of industry, frugality and integrity, would have succeeded anywhere. He has ever strived to live up to the standards of good citizenship, has been loyal to our flag and our institutions and today stands high in the estimation of his associates and neighbors. Mr. Hansen was born in Norway on the 19th of July, 1864, and is a son of Morten and Christina Hansen, who also were born in Norway, and there the father is still living, the mother having passed away in 1885. They were the parents of eight children, Hans, deceased, Martin, Andrew, Ole, Annie and Christina, Bendak and Edwin, who have passed away.

Andrew Hansen was educated in the schools of his home neighborhood and remained in his native country until 1892, when he emigrated to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. For five years he was employed in sawmills and logging camps, and then returned to Norway, where he remained about three and a half years. In 1900 he again came to this country, settling at Houghton, Michigan, where he was employed at carpenter work until 1910, when he came to Whatcom county, and bought twenty acres of land in Ferndale township, three and he came to Whatcom county, and bought twenty acres of land in Ferndale township, three and a half miles northeast of Ferndale. It was at that time all in woods and underbrush, but Mr. Hansen immediately went to work and soon had a part of it under cultivation. It is now practically all cleared and produces good crops of hay and grain. Mr. Hansen keeps four good grade Jersey cows and about three hundred laying hens and is realizing a very satisfactory income from the ranch. In 1910 he built a neat and comfortable home and in 1911 erected a substantial barn and a chicken house. In 1924 he built another chicken house and a root house, and now has his place in very good shape as regards improvements, being well equipped so as to secure the best results at a minimum of labor and expense. He thoroughly understands farming in all its phases and is known as an enterprising and progressive man.

Mr. Hansen was married, in April, 1890, to Miss Mary Johnson, a native of Norway and a daughter of John Olsen and Bartha Johnson, both natives of Norway. Her father died in 1922 and is survived by his widow, who is now ninety-four years of age. They became the parents of four children: George, deceased; Mrs. Hansen; Nicoli, deceased, and Mrs. Janetta Henricksen. Mr. and Mrs. Hansen have a daughter, Annie, who became the wife of Theo Anderson, and they have three children, namely: Raymond, born May 24, 1913; Agnes, December 9, 1919, and Gladys, June 1, 1925.

Mr. Hansen is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He is a man of up-to-date ideas, is persevering and untiring in his efforts and is absolutely square in all his dealings with others, so that he has won a well deserved reputation for integrity and uprightness. Friendly and affable, he has won a host of warm friends throughout this locality.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 514-515.

ARTHUR C. HARLOW

Arthur C. Harlow, veteran mortician at Bellingham and proprietor of what is recognized as the best equipped mortuary establishment and crematory in the state outside of Seattle, is a Canadian by birth but has been a resident of Washington since his infancy, and all his conscious recollections are thus based upon his activities in this state and in the neighboring state of Oregon. He was born at Shelburne in the maritime province of Nova Scotia in the dominion of Canada, October 3, 1881, and is a son of Steadman and Isabel (Johnston) Harlow, both also natives of that province, who were residents of Washington for some forty years and are now living retired in Portland, Oregon.

Steadman Harlow came to Washington with his family in 1883 and located in Wahkiakum county, at the mouth of the Columbia river. He was an experienced ship builder and there became employed in the ship building operations of George Loggie. In the next year he went to Empire city as millwright for the Loggie industries and was located at that place until 1893, when he became engaged in the fisheries industry at Eagle Cliff. There he remained until 1898, when he took up his residence in the Bay settlements, coming here to aid in the erection of the Bellingham Bay Company's mill in that year. He later also took part in the construction of the Loggie mill in Bellingham and upon the completion of that work established himself in Portland, where he became connected with the operations of the Schaffer Transportation Company. When after this country entered the World war in 1917 the call came for prompt production of wooden ships his services were secured in that connection, and he rendered effective service during that period of stress as superintendent of operations of one of the companies engaged in the task of turning out wooden vessels under government requisition, retiring upon the completion of that service.

Arthur C. Harlow was about eighteen months old when his parents moved to Washington, and he was reared here, securing his education in the public schools of this state. He was seventeen years of age when the family took up their residence in Bellingham in 1898, and for some time  after his arrival here he was employed in the Loggie mill, later securing employment with the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company. In 1902 he went to McMinnville, Oregon, where he attended the McMinnville College for three years, at the end of which time he became connected with the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company and was thus engaged until 1908. It was in the latter year that Mr. harlow embarked upon his career an a mortician, entering the old pioneer undertaking establishment of Edward Holman & Company at Portland, where he acquired a thoroughly familiar knowledge of this exacting profession. In 1913 he returned to Bellingham and here bought an interest in the undertaking establishment of Mock & Sons on Elk street, established in 1902, and in 1916 he became the sole proprietor. In 1922 he erected his present admirably appointed mortuary at the corner of Holly and Forest streets, opening it on November 8 of that year. The building comprises a story and a half, is fifty-four by ninety-two feet in ground dimension and in addition to the crematory and columbarium has a chapel with a seating capacity of three hundred. This mortuary is equipped with standard modern appointments and its vehicular service is fully motorized, including a private ambulance, a limousine burial coach, two family sedans and a clergyman's car, the various appointments being recognized in the trade as being the best in the state outside of Seattle.

On April 3, 1910, at Pendleton, Oregon, Mr. Harlow was united in marriage to Miss Adna Raley, who was born at that place, a daughter of Colonel J. H. Raley, a prominent attorney and a member of one of the real pioneer families of the community, and they have one child, a daughter, Helen. Mrs. Harlow is associated with her husband in the direction of the mortuary establishment and is an able helpmate. Mr. Harlow belongs to the First Baptist church, while Mrs. Harlow is a member of the First Presbyterian church. Both are republicans, and they have ever taken an interested part in civic activities. They are members of the Country Club and are otherwise participants in the social activities of the community. Mr. Harlow is a charter member of the Bellingham Yacht Club, of which he is secretary, and is an active and influential member of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Kiwanis Club, is a past president ('25) of the Tulip Festival Association and is a member of the board of directors of the local branch of the Young Men's Christian Association. He is a Knight Templar and Scottish Rite (thirty-second degree) Mason and a Noble of the Mystic shrine, while both he and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Harlow being an officer of the grand lodge of that order in the state of Washington. Mr. Harlow also is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the World, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, as well as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to all branches of that order. Years ago he rendered service in the National Guard of the state of Washington, serving for almost three years as a member of Company M in Colonel Wisenberger's regiment, beginning in 1900, and he has never lost his interest in National Guard affairs.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 104-105.

WILLIAM S. HEATHERS

It is by no means an easy task to describe within the limits of this review a man who has led an active life and by his own exertions has reached a position of honor in the line of work with which his interests are identified; but biography finds justification, nevertheless, in tracing the record of such a life, as the public claims a certain proprietary interest in the career of every individual. Among the citizens of Whatcom county whose careers have entitled them to representation in the history of their locality is William S. Heathers, of Nooksack, who has long stood among the enterprising and influential men of his community.

Mr. Heathers is a native of the state of Illinois and was born on the 20th of September, 1867. He is a son of William F. and Mary E. (Skiles) Heathers, the former of whom was born in Cass county, Illinois, in 1842, while the latter was born in Schuylkill county, New York, in 1845. The father is now living in Sekiu, Washington, while his wife passed away August 8, 1925. The paternal grandfather, William F. Heathers, was a native of Scotland, who came to this country and located in Illinois. The subject's father was reared to the life of a farmer, which pursuit he followed in Illinois for a number of years. Eventually he went to Nebraska and took up a homestead, on which he lived until 1888, when he came to Washington and took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres on Lake Whatcom. Later he sold this right and went to Bellingham to live. Subsequently he went to Sumas and engaged in farming, following that occupation until 1916, when he retired, and he is now living at Sekiu, although he still owns his Whatcom county farm. To him and his wife were born eleven children, namely: Francis M., deceased, William S., George W., Sarah Syrena, Walter Lee, deceased, E. K., Perry, Archie, Homer, who died in the service of his country in France during the World ward, and Harry and Curtis.

William S. Heathers received a good, practical education in the public schools of Illinois and Nebraska and then assisted his father in farm work for several years, practically managing his father's Nebraska ranch. In 1890 he came to Whatcom county and for twelve years was employed in the lumber camps. In 1896 he bought twenty acres of land in Sumas, part of which he cleared, and then sold the place and bought eighty acres at Van Buren. He kept this tract a few years, building a house and clearing part of the land, but eventually sold it, and in 1901 he bought twenty acres of land south of Van Buren, which was partly cleared and to which he later added thirty-five acres. He built a house and barn on this place and cleared twenty acres of the land. In 1910 he sold the ranch and went to Idaho, where he was engaged in farming for about one and a half years, when he sold out there and, returning to Whatcom county, bought twenty acres of good land on the highway four and a half miles southwest of Sumas. He cleared all of that land, built a good house and barn thereon and lived there until 1920, when he sold it and bought seven and a half acres, all cleared, within the city limits of Nooksack, and there he is now living. There was a good set of buildings on the place, but in 1920 he built a new henhouse and in 1924 built a cellar. He keeps a few cows, for which he raises plenty of feed, and he has six acres of his land in berries, which yield him a very satisfactory income. He also has a nice flock of laying hens, and he is now very comfortably situated.

On December 10, 1889, Mr. Heathers was married to Miss Cora Morgan, who was born and reared in Illinois, a daughter of D. J. and Mary Jane (Wells) Morgan, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Illinois. Mr. Morgan went to Nebraska in 1879, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land in Harlan county, where he lived until 1891, when he came to Sumas, Whatcom county, and bought a ranch, to the cultivation of which he devoted himself until his death, which occurred May 30, 1921. His wife passed away March 23, 1920. They were the parents of four children, namely: N. C., of Sumas; William, who died in 1894; Cora, the wife of our subject; and Mary Agnes, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Heathers are the parents of six children, namely: Mrs. May Sills, who is the mother of two children, Virgil E. born July 5, 1917, and Veda Irene, born September 5, 1922; Virgil R., who is married and has three children - Ward, born June 25, 1918; Norman, born August 5, 1919, and Pauline, born October 31, 1921; Sherman R., who is married; Mrs. L. Wilson, of Olympia, Washington; and Ada Fern and Rena Berle. Mr. Heathers is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He is eminently public-spirited, giving close attention to all public affairs affecting the welfare and prosperity of his community, and is particularly interested in the public schools and the building of good roads, both of which he considers of prime importance to the general welfare. He is generous in his attitude toward benevolent and charitable objects and is genial and friendly in his relations with his neighbors, so that he enjoys marked popularity throughout his community. He enjoys a widespread reputation as one of the substantial and dependable citizens of Nooksack and is a representative citizen of the county.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 204-205.

CHARLES R. HENDERSON

Charles R. Henderson, a well known carpenter now living retired in Bellingham, and one of the honored octogenarians, is a veteran of the Civil war and of the Indian wars and is one of the oldest surviving pioneers of the northwest country now living in Whatcom county. As a young man he began mining in Montana, went from there into Utah, thence into Nevada and in 1875 became a member of the Pendleton settlement in Oregon. In 1886 he arrived in the Sound country and in 1898 became a resident of the Bay settlements so that he has been a witness to and a participant in the development of the city of Bellingham since the days before this present corporate name was adopted. His pioneering brought him an unusual variety of experiences and when in a reminiscent mood he has most interesting stories to tell of the days when the northwest country was being made fit for settlement.

Mr. Henderson is a native of Tennessee, born in 1846. His father was also a native of that state, a member of one of the pioneer families there, and the mother was born in Georgia, both members of old colonial families in America. The Hendersons of this line in America are of Yankee stock, early established in the Connecticut colony, and during the war of the Revolution Mr. Henderson's great-grandfather rendered service in the command of gallant Israel Putnam, one of the most conspicuous heroes of the Revolution. Though but fifteen years of age when the Civil war broke out, Charles R. Henderson got into the  fight long before that struggle between the states was over and as a member of Company A, Seventh Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry, served as a soldier until the close of the war. In 1868, not long after he had attained his majority, he joined the adventurers then flocking to the mining regions of Montana and there remained as miner and teamster, until 1871, when he went to the Utah mining fields and thence into Nevada. In 1875 he settled at Pendleton, Oregon, where four years later he married and where he remained for about twelve years, or until 1886, when he came into Washington Territory. During the time of his residence in Pendleton Mr. Henderson again became a soldier, taking part in the Indian wars, volunteering as a member of the military contingent raised to put down the last of the Indian uprisings in that state, in 1878, and in that service was five times wounded. At one time the command to which he was attached, a company of forty-five men, was surrounded by a greatly superior force of Indians and a fierce battle ensued, a battle which the Oregonians finally were victorious, but not until two of their men had been slain, nine wounded and forty horses left dead on the field of battle.

On coming to Washington Mr. Henderson settled on a sheep ranch in the Ellensburg neighborhood in Kittitas county, but the depredations of prowling bands of Indians against his flocks proved disastrous to that venture and after the redskins had killed or carried off all his sheep he came to the conclusion, after a year or more of effort, that this was not the place for sheep raising, gave up his ranch and went into the Roslyn mining field. In 1889 he made a trip to the Bay settlements and became established as a carpenter in Skagit county, where he remained until 1898, when he returned to Whatcom and engaged in building operations. Here he has since resided, now living at 1018 Liberty street. With the exception of the two years in which he was trying to raise sheep, Mr. Henderson was engaged in carpentering from the time he settled at Pendleton in 1875 until his recent retirement and he thus has been a useful and substantial factor in the upbuilding of the region to which he became so definitely attracted in the days of his adventurous young manhood. He is a continuing member of the Bellingham local of the Carpenters Union, is an active member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a member of the Congregational church and a republican.

On November 23, 1879, at Pendleton, Mr. Henderson was united in marriage to Miss Cozbi Carden, who died at her home in Bellingham in 1924. She was a member of one of the pioneer families of Oregon, the Cardens having become settlers at Pendleton in 1852, coming into the northwest country from Wisconsin. Of the nine children born to Charles R. and Cozbi (Carden) Henderson all are living save one, Mr. Henderson having three sons, Charles, now living in Portland; Samuel, a resident of Sedro Woolley, and Ralph, who continues to make his home in Bellingham, associated with the operations of the Northwest Lumber Company. His five daughters are Mrs. Cecil Isadora Goldbury of Kent, Mrs. Edith Ione Benner, Ruth, Mrs. Cozbi Sterling and Grace, all of Bellingham. Mr. Henderson also has sixteen grandchildren, in whom he take much pride and delight.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 459-460.

BYRON S. HILLIER

The prosperity and welfare of a town or county are in a large measure due to the enterprise and wise foresight of its business men. It is the progressive, wide-awake men of affairs that make the real history of a community and their influence in shaping and directing its varied interests is difficult to estimate. B. S. Hillier, who for a number of years has been recognized as one of Whatcom county's most successful poultrymen, is well deserving of specific mention in the annals of his county, for he had in a large measure set the pace in his particular line of business.

Mr. Hillier is a native of Wisconsin, his birth occurring in Dane county, February 23, 1882, and he is a son of J. W. and Amelia (Willard) Hillier. On the maternal side he is directly related to Frances E. Willard, whose splendid achievements in the cause of temperance forms an important chapter in our national history. The father was born in England, June 5, 1843, and when four years of age was brought to this country by his parents, who became pioneers of Wisconsin, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1915. The mother, who was born December 8, 1850, passed away in 1913.

B. S. Hillier received his elementary education in the public schools of his native state and then entered the State Agricultural College, at Madison, where he was graduated in 1903. He was then for a time employed on fruit ranches, and was later put in charge of horticulture and poultry at the State Boys Industrial School at St. Charles, Illinois, where he remained two years. He then bought twenty acres of land at Sparta, Wisconsin, and engaged in the fruit and dairy business, in connection with which he also gave considerable attention to poultry. In 1913 he sold that place and came to Whatcom county, Washington, where he rented a small ranch, which he operated for about a year, at the end of that time buying fifty-two acres of land in Ferndale township, known as the old Ramsay place, one of the oldest homesteads in the township. It is located about eight and a half miles north of Bellingham and contains both creek bottom and high land, very suitable soil for poultry raising and for summer pasture. Mr. Hillier remodeled the old house, making of it a very comfortable and attractive home, and also built two big laying houses for his hens, each twenty by one hundred and forty feet in size. He began the poultry business here with about two hundred chicks, of trap-nested stock, and as he succeeded in the business he gradually expanded and increased his flocks until now he carries between five thousand and six thousand hens, about a thousand of them being high grade, trap-nested fowls. He does his own brooding, and in 1925 raised about three thousand two hundred pullets. He also keeps a herd of fine Guernsey cattle, thus giving him and abundant supply of milk for the chickens.

Mr. Hillier handles only White Leghorns, of the Tom Barron, Tancred and Hollywood strains, than which there are no better or more reliable strains, and he specializes in trap-nest work, having a trap-nest capacity of one thousand pullets. In this way he is enabled to produce some very fine high grade breeders. He traps only pullets that show marks of making good breeders and sells no hatching eggs, baby chicks, pullets or cockerels except from breeders that have been raised and trapped on his own ranch. His trap-nest work has been approved by the State Trap-Nesters Association, so that buyers of Mr. Hillier's stock have every reasonable guarantee that the stock they purchase will be of the very highest grade and of purest strains.

In April, 1907, Mr. Hillier was married to Miss Ethel Hamilton, who was born and reared in Iowa county, Wisconsin, a daughter of Robert and Etta Hamilton, both of whom were born and reared in Arena, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Hillier have two children: Willard, who was born in Wisconsin, June 4, 1911, and is now a student in high school; and Philip, who was born in Washington, June 16, 1915.

Mr. Hillier is a member of the board of directors of the Whatcom County Poultry Association, having been one of its organizers and the first president, while his wife is secretary and treasurer of the Co-operative Hatchery of Whatcom County. To her helpfulness he attributes much of his success in the poultry business. He is president of the local Federal Farm Loan Association. By a straightforward and commendable course he has made his way to a respected position among the successful business men of Whatcom county, winning the hearty admiration of the people of his locality and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs which the public has not been slow to recognize and appreciate. Unostentatious in manner, he is, nevertheless, friendly and affable, and since coming to this county he has won a host of warm and loyal friends, who esteem his for his genuine worth.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 534-537.

CLEMMET M. IDDINS

Among the progressive commercial organizations of Bellingham none enjoys a higher reputation than does the Washington Grocery Company, the pioneer in this field of activity, and for thirteen years Clemmet M. Iddins has been connected with the business, of which he is one of the owners and officers. He is a native of the south but has spent much of his life on the Pacific coast and is thoroughly imbued with western energy and enterprise. A son of the Rev. James V. and Mary (Holliday) Iddins, he was born in 1881 in Tennessee, and his mother is now residing in Knoxville, that state. The father was a minister of the Baptist church and an earnest Christian who influenced many to choose the higher course in life.

C. M. Iddins supplemented his public school course by two years of attendance at Marysville College of Tennessee and was engaged in teaching for a year. In 1902 he located in Edison, Washington, and embarked in general merchandising in association with his brother, James J. Iddins, who was drowned in 1905. After the latter's death the subject of this sketch was joined by another brother, Bert R. Iddins, and for some time they conducted a general store. C. M. Iddins next took charge of a mercantile establishment in Douglas county, Washington, and later became a traveling salesman for the firm of C. C. Morse & Company of San Francisco, California, representing that house for a year.

In 1913 Mr. Iddins became connected with the Washington Grocery Company of Bellingham, the oldest and largest wholesale grocery firm north of Seattle. It was established in May, 1902, and its first officers were S. A. D. Glasscock, president; R. A. L. Davis, vice president; and John Trezise, secretary and treasurer. L. P. White was also a large stockholder and one of the incorporators. The first home of the business was a three-story building, twenty-seven and a half by one hundred feet in dimensions, and it was started with seven employees. The trade increased steadily and in 1913 the firm found it necessary to provide more commodious quarters for the business, erecting a modern fireproof building four stories in height and one hundred and ten feet in dimensions. It is situated at the corner of Railroad avenue and Chestnut street and has ample shipping facilities. About thirty persons are employed, including five traveling salesmen, and the firm has a large business in the state of Washington, while its trade also extends to Alaska. The company features the Blue and Gold and the W. G. brands of canned goods, and the steady increase in the volume of business is the best commentary upon the quality of service rendered patrons and the spirit which actuates the men who control the destiny of the house. Upon the death of Mr. Glasscock in 1915, R. A. L. Davis was elected president and E. H. Holt acted as vice president, while John Trezise continued as secretary and treasurer. In 1919 Mr. Iddins purchased an interest in the company and has since filled the office of vice president. He has a detailed knowledge of the business, to which he gives his undivided attention, and has formulated many well devised plans for its expansion, bringing to the discharge of his duties executive capacity and a keen zest for his work.

In 1910 Mr. Iddins was united in marriage to Miss S. A. Barrow, of Mount Vernon, Washington, and they have three children: Bert, Alice and Maxine. Mr. Iddins is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the United Commercial Travelers, while his political views are in accord with the principles of the republican party. His life has been one of unabating industry and what he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his time, talents and opportunities.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 875-876.

JOHN D. JANSEN

John D. Jansen, one of Whatcom county's honored pioneers, has lived in Lawrence township for forty-four years, and no resident of this district has contributed in greater measure toward the development and utilization of its rich agricultural resources. A son of John D. and Tenna Jansen, he was born June 7, 1852, and is a native of Germany. He arrived in New York city in 1869, when a youth of seventeen, and in 1870 shipped before the mast. He followed the life of a sailor for several years, visiting England, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, and thus broadened his outlook upon life. He settled in Washington in 1880 and in 1882 came to Whatcom county, taking up a homestead in Lawrence township in the vicinity of Everson. He was the first settler in this locality, and in every direction were dense forests in which game of all kinds was to be found. His claim comprised one hundred and sixty acres, and after much difficulty he succeeded in clearing the land and bringing it under the plow. He has sold most of the homestead, retaining a tract of thirty-one acres, on which he has place many improvements, and his place is one of the most valuable in the district. He operates a dairy and is also a poultry raiser. He is an expert agriculturist and has demonstrated the value of efficiency and system in promoting productiveness.

On October 17, 1893, Mr. Jansen married Miss Louisa Miller, who was born in Switzerland and has been a resident of Whatcom county since 1893. To their union were born three children: Ted, who is married and lives in the county; Eva, the wife of James Cavalero, of Everett, Washington; and Nettie, of Arlington, this state. Mr. Jansen is an adherent of the republican party and in the early days filled the position of road overseer. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and also of the Poultrymen's Association.  He has lived to witness the reclamation of this district, which now ranks with the most productive sections of the northwest, and no one rejoices more sincerely than he in what has been achieved along the lines of improvement and progress. Earnest, industrious and purposeful, he has accomplished what he has undertaken, and time has proven his worth. 

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 546.

JOHN A. KELLOGG

The standing of a community depends largely upon the character of those who represent it in official capacities, and Bellingham is fortunate in securing for its chief executive a man who has so forcibly demonstrated his qualifications for the mayoralty as has John A. Kellogg. A distinguished lawyer, he has left the impress of his individuality upon the legal history of the state, and his record as a public servant and private citizen has brought additional luster to an honored name. He was born September 17, 1871, in Whatcom county, Washington, in which his parents, George A. and Mary E. (Diffenbacker) Kellogg, located in that year. They had formerly lived in Iowa, and after reaching San Francisco, California, they came to Washington by the water route. At that time no railroad had penetrated into the county, and they experienced all of the vicissitudes of frontier life. In 1874 the family went to the Golden state and later to Iowa. They next journeyed to Kansas and thence to Colorado. They returned to Washington in 1883, and the father was one of the first attorneys in Bellingham. He displayed marked skill in the solution of intricate legal problems and was highly esteemed by his professional colleagues. He practiced until the fire of 1886, when he retired from the profession. He was among the promoters of Fairhaven, now a part of Bellingham, and was among the foremost in all projects for the public good. He was auditor of Whatcom county, filling out an unexpired term, and while a resident of Iowa was elected judge of the county court of Story county. He passed away in 1902 and is survived by the mother.

After the completion of his public school course John A. Kellogg entered the University of Washington, from which he graduated in 1892. He next became a student in the law school of Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois, and was graduated with the class of 1894. In 1897 he located at Northport, Washington, and his ability soon won recognition. He filled the position of city attorney and also enjoyed a good practice. Mr. Kellogg spent eight years in Northport and in 1905 returned to Bellingham, where he has since been engaged in general practice. His cases are prepared with thoroughness, precision and skill and each year has recorded a marked increase in his clientele.

In 1899 Mr. Kellogg married Miss Philathea Atkins, of Denver, Colorado, and in 1900 their union was abruptly severed by her death. In 1908 he married Miss Nellie J. McBride, a daughter of John A. and Katherine (Bartruff) McBride. They were among the early settlers of Bellingham, and many examples of Mr. McBride's work as a carpenter and builder are still to be found in the city. Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg have two children: John Albert, who was born in October, 1909, and is attending high school; and Mary Katherine, who was born May 20, 1915.

Along fraternal lines Mr. Kellogg is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Woodmen of the World. He is a director of the Northwestern National Bank and the New Whatcom Building & Loan Association, and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He was called to the state legislature in 1904 and took his seat in that law-making body in 1905. He gave earnest consideration to all questions brought before the house and his support of a measure was an indication of his firm belief in its value as a factor in good government. He was appointed judge of the superior court of Whatcom county in 1907 and in 1908 was elected to that office, which he filled until January, 1913. His comprehensive legal learning and wide experience in the courts, the patient care with which he ascertained all the facts bearing upon every case brought before him, gave his decisions a solidity and exhaustiveness to which no member of the bar could take exception, and the fairness of his rulings proved his moral worth. In December, 1923, Judge Kellogg was the popular choice for mayor of Bellingham, and he was reelected in December, 1925. His work in the office has met with widespread approval, being directed at all times by a loyal and sincere regard for the people's interest. He has a high conception of duty and honor and his life has been fraught with the accomplishment of much good.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 476-477.

JOHN KNUDSON

No man knows the real value of money unless he has himself earned it, and John Knudson has thoroughly learned its worth, for his life from an early age has been one of unceasing industry. He had nothing to aid him at the outset of his career, and when he first came to Washington he worked in the mills, receiving for his services sixty-five cents per day of eleven and a half hours. The struggle for ascendancy has developed the best and strongest traits in his nature and his life record is written in terms of honor and success. He is the owner of a fine ranch in Lawrence township and for nearly forty years his labors have been a vital force in its development.

Mr. Knudson was born October 16, 1852, and is a native of Norway. When a young man of thirty he crossed the Atlantic, arriving in the United States June 6, 1883. He spent one year in Wisconsin and then started for the pacific coast, reaching Port Townsend, Washington, May 26, 1884. He afterward moved to Tacoma, living for a few years in that city, and on February 16, 1887, came to Whatcom county, taking up a homestead in Lawrence township. There were no roads and in order to obtain his supplies it was necessary to walk to Bellingham, a distance of fourteen miles. He would start at three in the  morning and completed the round trip of twenty-eight miles at ten o'clock in the evening, often walking through mud which reached to his knees and carrying upon his back a burden of some seventy pounds. In 1889 he bought a small wagon in Bellingham but had no harness. He put his horse between the shafts, tying the animal's tail to the single-tree, and over the neck he placed a rope to hold up the shafts. In this ingenious manner he brought the wagon home and afterward made his own harness. In those early days the streams were filled with fish and the forests abounded in big game. During the first three years which he spent in the township Mr. Knudson shot fifteen bears and brought home twenty-seven deer as trophies of his marksmanship. He has sold half of the original tract and the remaining eighty acres are devoted to general farming and dairying. Years of experience and study have given him an expert understanding of agricultural science, and he never allows a foot of his land to be unproductive. The buildings are substantial and the place presents a picture that is pleasing to the eye, constituting one of the most attractive and desirable farms of the district.

On May 8, 1876, Mr. Knudson married Miss Ingebord H. Hansen, and ten children were born to them: Sophia, the widow of R. Johnson, of Bellingham; Cecelia, who has passed away; Annie, the wife of A. W. Peterson, who is engaged in farming near the Knudson homestead; Lena, now Mrs. John Thurston; John, deceased; Antone, at home; Harold, who is living in Blaine, Washington, and has a wife and three children; Clements, and Ingvald, who are cultivating land in this locality; and a child who died in infancy. Mr. Knudson is allied with the democratic party and was at one time road supervisor, also serving on the school board for many years. He possesses a splendid constitution and notwithstanding his seventy-three years is still in vigorous health, deriving true contentment from activity and usefulness. He has found life well worth the living, making the best of it day by day, and his kindly manner and frank, genial nature have endeared him to a host of friends, who are thoroughly appreciative of his many good qualities.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 506-507.

ABRAHAM LAWSON

Entering the business world in an humble capacity, Abraham Lawson has never feared that laborious effort which must ever precede ascendancy, and his constantly developing powers have brought him to the fore in mercantile circles of Bellingham. A native of Ireland, he was born in 1868, and his parents, Archibald and Sarah Lawson, were life-long residents of the Emerald isle. His father was a dry goods merchant and one of the prominent business men of Dublin.

Abraham Lawson supplemented his public school education by a course in Wesley College of Dublin and afterward served a five years' apprenticeship to the dry goods trade. He started with a salary of forty dollars per year and was promoted to the position of silk buyer. He left Dublin in 1894, when a young man of twenty-six, and followed the example of many of his fellow countrymen who had profited by the opportunities of the United States. After reaching New York city he journeyed westward to St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming a dry goods clerk at a salary of ten dollars per week, and within a month he was advanced to a more responsible position. He was paid thirty dollars per week for his services and was later placed in charge of the silk department. He remained with that house for a few years and in 1900 decided to locate on the Pacific coast. He had accumulated a capital of fourteen hundred dollars and opened a dry goods store in Seattle. Prosperity attended his venture and eventually he stocked another establishment. He operated both stores until 1913, when he sold the business and allied his interests with those of Bellingham. He secured a desirable location at Nos. 1308-14 Bay street and opened The Home Store, of which he has since been the proprietor. He had a display front of twenty-five feet, and the main floor of the store is now one hundred and ten by one hundred and twenty-five feet, while the mezzanine floor is sixty-five by one hundred and ten feet in dimensions. Mr. Lawson carries a general line of dry goods, also handling shoes and ready-to-wear clothing for men, women and children. His stock is tastefully arranged and his store is attractive in every way, having the appearance of a metropolitan establishment. He started with a force of three clerks and now has thirty-five employes. His expert knowledge of mercantile affairs is supplemented by mature judgment, and the rapid growth of the business is the logical result of the progressive methods, executive capacity and honorable policy of its founder.

In 1904 Mr. Lawson was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Lancaster, of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and they have two daughters, Marjorie and Maxine. Mr. Lawson belongs to the Kiwanis Club and is one of the earnest workers who are striving to extend Bellingham's trade relations through the agency of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner and has taken the thirty-second degree in the order. He is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Lawson has made his own way in the world and enjoys in marked degree that reward of the honest, industrious and useful citizen - the respect and confidence of his fellowmen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 207-208.

RALPH H. LEACH

Established in Bellingham for more than twenty years, Ralph H. Leach, manufacturer and retailer of jewelry in that city and one of the best known craftsmen in his line in the northwest, has long held a high place in local commercial circles. Mr. Leach was born at Brewer, a suburb of the city of Bangor, Penobscot county, Maine, November 29, 1883, and was but an infant when in the next year his parents, Fred H. and Hannah B. (Jackson) Leach, both members of colonial families in New England, came west with their family and located at Los Angeles, California. Fred H. Leach was a manufacturing jeweler, and under his competent instruction his son, Ralph, was thoroughly trained in the art of the jeweler's craft. In 1898 Mr. Leach came to Washington and opened a retail jewelry store in Seattle.

On April 5, 1905, Ralph H. Leach arrived in Bellingham, and upon taking up his residence here he became employed in the L. L. Berens jewelry establishment. He was thus connected until 1913, when he opened a store of his own, starting in a room in the Mason building. He gave his particular attention to the manufacturing end of the business and this was developed to such proportions that within ten years the need of larger quarters compelled him to seek a new location. On January 1, 1923, he opened his present well equipped and admirably appointed establishment at No. 1334 Cornwall avenue and has since been engaged in business at that place with a well stocked store and an able staff of skilled craftsmen, operating the only manufacturing jeweler's shop in the town. Mr. Leach has for years made a specialty of the manufacture of jeweled insignia buttons and emblem buttons for festival and other purposes, and in 1925 he made five thousand buttons for the Victoria crystal carnival. He has for years been manufacturing the well known Tulip button, and when the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks held their state convention in Bellingham he filled the order for five thousand special buttons for that memorable occasion. His special Elks buttons and emblems have been sold in all parts of the United States and are worn by thousands of the members of that popular fraternal organization. His factory is equipped for the manufacture of any form of special jewelry and the products of his plant enter into the jewelry trade generally throughout the northwest.

On February 12, 1908, in Bellingham, Mr. Leach was united in marriage to Miss Carrie L. White, a daughter of S. J. White, one of the pioneers of Bellingham, who has been a resident here since 1887. They have a son, Ralph S. Leach, who is associated with his father in the latter's jewelry business. The Leaches are republicans and have ever taken a proper interest in local civic affairs as well as in the general social activities of their home town. Mr. Leach is one of the active members of the local Rotary Club and of the Chamber of Commerce, is a Scottish Rite thirty-second degree Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and is also affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 41.

BENJAMIN W. LORING

Each man who strives to fulfill his part in connection with human life and human activities is deserving of recognition, whatever may be his field of endeavor, and the records of the subject of this sketch is that of a man who knows not the word idleness, and whose career of persistent and well directed industry and gained for him well merited success. B. W. Loring was born at Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1856, and is a son of Barnes and Mary (Whedeon) Loring, the latter of whom, a native of New York state, died in Kansas. Barnes Loring, who also was born in New York, came to Whatcom county, Washington, in 1887 and lived here with his son, our subject, until his death, which occurred in 1919, at the age of eighty-seven years. On coming to this locality he had bought a homestead right in Lynden township.

B. W. Loring secured his education in the public schools of his native city and then turned his attention to railroad work, becoming a telegraph operator for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, with which he remained for nine years, running a transfer point station, and later became ticket agent and telegraph operator for the Northwestern Railroad at Tama City, Iowa. He then took a similar position with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, after which he was again with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road until 1887, when he came to Lynden. He had accepted a position with a land company in California but decided not to follow that line of work and came to Whatcom county. He was appointed tide land appraiser for the state, holding that position for several years. On arriving in this county he first stopped at Bellingham, spending his first night at the old Terminus Hotel, and after going to Lynden he boarded for several weeks with Mrs. Judson. He then built a small shack on his father's land, where he lived for a few months, but while there he and his wife lost their only son, and they soon afterward returned to the east. For a short time Mr. Loring again worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, after which he went to Savannah, Missouri, where he lived for about a year. He then returned to Whatcom county and engaged in the land business, buying and selling a good deal of property during the "boom" period in Blaine, Drayton Harbor, Lynden and other favorable points in this section of the county, and during this period he also acquired a small house in Lynden. When the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad was completed through this locality, Mr. Loring became station agent at Lynden, holding that position for ten years, and then, in 1905, he bought one hundred and fifty-five acres in Lynden township, of which he has sold all but seventy acres comprising his present farm. When he obtained the place about five acres were cleared, the remainder being heavily covered with alder and cottonwood trees and brush. By much hard and persistent labor he has cleared the entire tract and has made many permanent and substantial improvements, including a comfortable and attractive house, a substantial barn and other necessary farm buildings, so that he now owns one of the most desirable farms in this locality. He gives considerable attention to dairying, having formerly kept thirty cows but now keeping only ten. His fields are well cultivated and productive though he does not work them as extensively as formerly. He is up-to-date and progressive in all his methods and has met with well deserved success since locating here.

Mr. Loring was married, in 1882, at Nevada, Iowa, to Miss Ella Wright, who was born and reared in Freeport, Illinois, and who was doubly orphaned when but a small child. The only child born to Mr. and Mrs. Loring was Benjamin Wright Loring, who died in 1888. Fraternally Mr. Loring is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. He has alway(s) maintained a deep interest in the general welfare of the community, cooperating with his fellow citizens in the advancement of all measures for the public good. A man of kindly and accommodating disposition, he has a wide acquaintance throughout this section of the county, among whom are a host of warm and loyal friends, who esteem him for his genuine worth as a man and citizen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 884-885.

CHARLES A. McLENNAN

Charles A. McLennan is making a splendid record in the dual position of the city comptroller and city clerk of Bellingham, which he has filled since December, 1915. His birth occurred in Bracken county, Kentucky, March 20, 1863, his parents being Charles J. and Elizabeth McLennan. The father was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in March, 1817, and was educated in the College of Edinburgh, form which he was graduated in 1837. Coming to the United States, he settled near Brighton, Kentucky, where he engaged in tobacco growing, in general farming, in road building, in contracting and in the raising of thoroughbred horses. His interests were thus extensive and important and he became one of the leading business men of the community, but in 1861 he put aside all business and personal considerations to join the Union army, being made captain of the Sixty-third Kentucky Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, rendering valuable aid to the Union cause. He then returned to his Kentucky home, where he remained until called to his final rest in 1883. He was a very active member of the Masonic fraternity, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft. In New York city he had married Elizabeth Allen, and to them were born twenty-one children.

Charles A. McLennan attended a private school in Kentucky and later became a student in St. Mary's College at Dayton, Ohio, which he attended to the age of fourteen years. He afterward spent two years in Day's Business College at cincinnati, Ohio, and subsequently went to Manitoba, Canada, where he was engaged in farming for several years. In 1886 he disposed of his interests there and removed to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he accepted the position of timekeeper with the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company. A year later he was made freight clerk and foreman and acted in that capacity for eighteen months. Going to Tacoma, Washington, he had charge of the local and oriental freight departments of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company for two years, after which, in 1889, he came to Whatcom county, Washington. He took up his abode at Fairhaven, now Bellingham, becoming wharfinger and freight agent for the Fairhaven Land Company, so continuing until November, 1890, when he was appointed deputy United States customs collector, and he was stationed at New Whatcom and at Blaine, Washington, until 1893. At that date he went to Portland, Oregon, and became foreman of construction for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, while later he occupied the position of purser on the company's river boat Potter for three months. He was subsequently made car accountant and so continued until 1897, when he returned to Washington and at Seattle was given charge of the freight sheds for the great Northern Railroad Company, occupying that position until 1899. In the latter year he went to Alaska, where he took charge of the freight business for the Northern Alaska Steamship Company at St. Michaels and at Nome for several years, after which he returned to Bellingham and accepted the position of bookkeeper in the city comptroller's office, there remaining until December, 1915, when he was elected city comptroller and city clerk, in which capacity he has served most efficiently to the present time.

On the 15th of September, Mr. McLennan was married in Bellingham, to Miss Ella McArthur, a sister of H. D. McArthur, extended mention of whom is made on another page of this work. Mr. McLennan gives his political allegiance to the republican party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He is a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity and is a Royal Arch Mason. He is likewise affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, being a charter member and past chancellor of Fairhaven Lodge No. 56. He has long enjoyed high standing in fraternal, civic and social circles of Bellingham.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 508-509.

LEWIS SLADE MILLER

Among the worthy pioneers and successful farmers of Whatcom county stands L. S. Miller, whose fine ranch is located near Sumas. He has lived through one of the most remarkable, and in many respects the most wonderful, epochs in the world's history. There will never be another like it, for it embraced the period when the strong-armed homeseekers from the eastern states invaded the great west and redeemed it from the wilds, bringing it up through various stages to the present high state of civilization. In all this he has been an active participant, doing his full share in the work of progress and improvement in this locality. Mr. Miller was born in Whiteside county, Illinois, on the 26th of November, 1863, and is a son of Fred and Margaret (Blaine) Miller, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father went to Illinois with his parents when he was eight years old and lived there until 1849, when he made the long and dangerous overland trip, by ox team, to California, lured there by the discovery of gold. He remained there six years, at the end of which time he returned to Illinois. Later he went to Kansas, taking up a homestead in Jackson county, to the operation of which he devoted himself until his death, which occurred March 11, 1903. He was survived by his widow, who passed away in June, 1919. They were the parents of five children, namely: Elizabeth, deceased; Belle, who lives in Kansas; L. S., the subject of this sketch; Lee, in Kansas; and Carl, who lives at Glacier, Whatcom county.

L. S. Miller secured his education in the public schools of Kansas and remained at home until 1884, when he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 6, township 40, two miles east of Sumas. He first built a small log cabin and then entered upon the task of clearing the land, which was covered with timber and brush. He now has forty acres cleared and under cultivation. It is fine, rich bottom land and he raises splendid crops of hay, grain, potatoes and beans, as well as good root crops. In 1925 his oat crop yielded one hundred and two bushels to the acre. He has ten good grade milk cows and a registered sire, and he has made good improvements on the place, which now ranks among the best ranches in this section of the county.

On November 26, 1893, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Bessie Vail, who was born and reared in Kansas, a daughter of Levi and Ellen (Spencer) Vail, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. Her father went to Kansas by covered wagon in 1867 and lived on a farm there until December 7, 1890, when he came to Whatcom county, Washington, having sold his Kansas interests. On his arrival here he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres, three and a half miles east of Sumas, cleared off a part of the land and lived there until about 1901, when he retired and moved to Sumas, where he lived until his death, which occurred August 11, 1904. His wife died December 23, 1922. They were the parents of three children: Bessie, Arthur and Chester. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born four children, namely: Bryan, born September 4, 1899, who lives at Renton, King county, Washington; Fred, born October 25, 1904, who also lives at Renton; Joseph, born April 22, 1907; and Nora, born August 16, 1910. Mr. Miller is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and of the Whatcom County Potato Growers Association. A public-spirited citizen, he has been ready at all times to use his means and influence for the promotion of such measures as are conducive to the welfare of the community. His life has been a busy and useful one, and because of his success, his splendid character and his genial and friendly manner he has long held an enviable place in the confidence and good will of the entire community in which he lives.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 555-556.

GEORGE D. MONTFORT

George D. Montfort, a successful lawyer, has practiced in Blaine for more than two decades and is also filling the office of postmaster. He was born October 13, 1872, and is a native of Ireland. His father, A. R. Montfort, was born in November, 1838. He was made an ensign in the British navy and his commission, dated May 28, 1858, bore the signature of Queen Victoria. Later he joined the British army and on January 18, 1867, was promoted to the rank of captain, serving with the Tenth Infantry in Cape Colony, Africa, and in India. He remained in the service of Great Britain until 1876, when he came to the States, and he lived for a few years in Kentucky. In 1880 he migrated to the west, locating in Minnesota, and in the fall of 1903 established his home in Blaine, Washington. He became one of the prominent business men of the town and was a stockholder in the Home State Bank. He was loyal to the country of his adoption and thoroughly identified his interests with those of the community, in which he was highly esteemed. In 1866 he had married Miss Margaret Leslie Dickson. His life was terminated August 12, 1912.

George D. Montfort was a boy of eight when the family moved to the Gopher state, in which he received his public school education, and in 1898 he was graduated from the law department of the University of Minnesota. At the time of the Spanish-American war he entered the United States army and was in active service in the Philippines. After receiving his honorable discharge he began the practice of law in Minnesota where he followed his profession for a few years, and in 1902 came to Whatcom county, Washington, opening a law office in Blaine, where he has since practiced. He also published the Blaine Journal for four years but in 1906 withdrew from the newspaper business, reserving all of his energies for his profession. He was appointed United States commissioner, a post which he filled for a considerable period, and for sixteen years acted as city attorney of Blaine.

On June 25, 1902 Mr. Montfort was united in marriage to Miss Louise J. Morris, a native of Litchfield, Minnesota, and a daughter of James H. and Florence Morris. To Mr. and Mrs. Montfort were born two children, but the daughter, Florence Alice, is deceased. Their son, Richford, is a student in the commercial department of the University of Washington. During the World war Mr. Montfort was clerk of the Whatcom county draft board, and on April 19, 1922, he was appointed postmaster of Blaine. His duties are performed with characteristic thoroughness and fidelity and his services have been very satisfactory. He take a keen interest in politics and is a strong advocate of the republican party. He belongs to the association of United Spanish War Veterans and is also identified with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 556-557.

JENS K. NIELSEN

Sufficient has been drawn from the life history of the man whose name appears above to show that there is something in his inner life worthy of more than incidental mention. He began life practically at the bottom of the ladder, which he has climbed with no help but a brave heart, industrious hands and an intelligent brain, and is a living example of what may be accomplished by energy, perseverance and thrift, even under discouraging circumstances, and he now rests secure in the respect and esteem of all who know him, because of the high ideals and honest motives which have actuated his life. J. K. Nielsen was born in Denmark on the 10th of April, 1873, and is a son of Niels Peter and Annie Marie (Jensen) Larsen, farming folk, both of whom were born, reared and spent their lives in that country, both being now deceased. The maternal grandfather was decorated with the cross of the Danish flag because of his honorable and patriotic service of thirty-five years as alderman.

J. K. Nielsen secured his education in the public schools of his native land but left school at the age of nine years, being hired out to herd cattle. At fifteen he suffered the loss of his mother, and he then went to work on neighboring farms, being so employed until twenty years of age. He then served the usual period, eight months, in the Danish army, training in the infantry and coast artillery schools, after which he worked at various occupations, in shipyards and on railroads, and next began taking small contracts for ditching, digging wells and similar work.  Later he learned the trade of a butcher, which he followed until April 10, 1903, when he emigrated to the United States, landing at New York city. Having a brother in Chicago, he went to that city, arriving there with a total cash capital of three dollars. He then went to West McHenry, Woodstock county, Illinois, and during the following two years worked at any employment he could find, chiefly on farms, where he received fifteen dollars a month and keep. During that period he also studied hard to learn the English language, and through the most rigid economy he saved fifty dollars.

Mr. Nielsen then came to Whatcom county, arriving at Bellingham March 14, 1905. He secured a job on the farm of E. H. Bruns at Birch Bay, and started for that destination, getting off the train at Custer and being compelled to walk eight miles over such roads as might be expected in March. He remained in Mr. Bruns' employ about two years and then bought eighteen acres of land from his employer, comprising his present farm, and to the clearing and improvement of the tract he applied himself closely and with such excellent results that he now has eight acres cleared and in cultivation, while the other improvements on the place have been of such a character as have made of it a very valuable ranch. At the time he completed the first shack on his farm he had but twenty dollars in money left with which to furnish the house and operate the farm. He carries on general farming, devoting a large part of his attention to dairying and the raising of hogs, in which he has met with well deserved success. He raises sufficient feed to care for the stock and is now very comfortably situated. Mr. Nielsen was at one time a member of the Grange. He has taken a proper interest in township affairs and served for two years as township supervisor. In 1917, owing to ill health, Mr. Nielsen sold off his personal property and went to San Francisco, where he remained about two months. He then returned to Puget Sound and went to work in the navy yard at Bremerton, being subsequently discharged from the navy yard with a grade of eighty-five per cent in workmanship and ninety-five per cent in behavior. He returned to his farm and is now busily engaged in its operation. Mr. Nielsen possesses much of the characteristic energy, thrift and perseverance of his race, of which he is a creditable representative, and is a loyal and patriotic citizen of his adopted country. He is well known throughout this section of the country, and because of his many fine qualities of character and his genial manner he is held in the highest measure of esteem by all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 507-508.

HERBERT S. and RICHARD J. NIGHTINGALE

Herbert S. Nightingale, junior member of the law firm of Bixby & Nightingale at Bellingham and one of the best known members of the Whatcom county bar, was born in Loup City, county seat of Sherman county, Nebraska, February, 12, 1890, and is a son of the late Richard John and Emily S. (Smith) Nightingale, both natives of England and whose last days were spent in Bellingham.

Richard John Nightingale was born in the city of Birmingham and was graduated from the University of London. Not long after leaving college he came to the United States and in 1872 settled in Nebraska. For some time he was engaged in farming, meanwhile carrying on his studies in law, and about 1880 he was admitted to the bar and became engaged in the practice of law in Loup City. He married Mrs. Emily S. (Smith) Cuttle, a widow, and continued to make his home in that city until 1914, when he closed out his affairs there and came to Bellingham, here rejoining his son, Herbert, who had become engaged in law practice in Bellingham the year before, and as a member of the firm of Bixby & Nightingale continued in practice until his death, April 25, 1921. He was a member of the Whatcom County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association, was a republican in politics and was affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. His widow survived him for something more that two years, her death occurring August 30, 1923, and she is survived by her three children; J. R. Cuttle, the son of her first marriage, who is now a resident of Los Angeles, California; Herbert S. Nightingale and Beatrice, the wife of R. T. Nightingale of Tacoma.

Reared at Loup City, Herbert S. Nightingale was graduated from the law school of the University of Nebraska in 1911 and in that year became engaged in the practice of law in his home town in association with his father. Two years later, in 1913, he came to Washington and became established in practice at Bellingham, in association with Frank W. Bixby, and he has since been thus engaged, the law firm of Bixby & Nightingale being [missing line(s) or erroneous line] which at that time contained a large supply of valuable timber. He resided in the Wolverine [missing lines] one of the best established in this section of the state. When this country entered the World war Mr. Nightingale enlisted and in July, 1918, entered the service. He was in the army until his discharge in February, 1919, the war then being over, and he was mustered out as sergeant major of the First Battalion of the Thirty-eighth Field Artillery.

On October 12, 1923, in Bellingham, Mr. Nightingale was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Kilbury, and they have a pleasant home in that city. They are republicans and are interested in local civic affairs, as well as in the general social and cultural activities of the community. Mr. Nightingale is a member of the local post of the American Legion and is affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is an active member of the Whatcom County Bar Association and of the Washington State Bar Association and has a wide acquaintance in his profession.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 117-118.

PETER PETERSON

The record of Peter Peterson is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts has worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of independence and influence in his community. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance and the sound business principle and honorable methods which he has followed have won for him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Ferndale township. Mr. Peterson is a native of Denmark, in which country he first saw the light of day, May 17, 1867, and is a son of Nels and Maren Peterson, both of whom were natives of that country, where they spent their lives, the father dying in 1883, while the mother is still living there, at the age of eighty-two years.

Peter Peterson secured his educational training in the excellent schools of his native country and remained at home until 1889, when he emigrated to the United States. He first located in Illinois, where he engaged in farming, remaining there nine years. In 1898 he came to Whatcom county and bought a small ranch at Aldergrove, which he sold the following year. He then worked for Mrs. Matz on her river ranch near Ferndale for two years, and next bought twenty-two acres of land also along the river, which he farmed for a years and then sold. During the following three years he operated the Matz ranch, which he had rented, and then rented eighty acres of Thomas Slater, south of Ferndale. He cleared most of that land and continued to farm it for nine years, at the end of which time he bought twenty-seven acres, partly cleared, near Ferndale. He cultivated that tract for six years, adding ten acres to it, and in 1920 sold that place and bought fifteen acres located a half mile north of Ferndale. He is still operating this tract, which he has practically cleared and nicely improved with a good set of farm buildings. He also leases forty acres of land, which he farms in connection with his own ranch. He keeps twelve good grade cows and five hundred chickens, while the land is devoted to diversified crops, in the raising of which he has met with success. He is thoroughly practical in everything he does, knows no such word as fail, and has brought his place to an excellent state of improvement in every respect. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, the Whatcom County Poultry Association and the Whatcom County Farm Bureau.

In March, 1920, Mr. Peterson was married to Mrs. Christense (Hong) Anderson, daughter of Peter K. and Ragnhild (Glosmodt) Hong, both of whom were natives of Norway. They came to the United States in 1876, locating in Minnesota, where he took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. They continued to live thee until 1910, when they came to Whatcom county, the father buying fifty-five acres of land near Ferndale, all of which, except about ten acres, was cleared and which is now one of the best farms in that locality. In 1921 Mr. Hong leased the land to his son, Philip, who is now cultivating it. To P. K. and Ragnhild Hong were born seven children, Knut, Christense, Ben, Melvin, Philip, Theodore and Pearl. Mr. Peterson has four step-children, Alverra, Ruth, Floyd and Blanche Anderson. In every relation of life Mr. Peterson has been true and loyal, giving his support to all measures for the betterment of the community and maintaining courteous and accommodating relations with his neighbors, while in all his social intercourse he is kindly and genial. Because of these estimable qualities, he has long held an enviable place in the confidence and respect of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 797.

ABBIE (HURD) RAYMOND

Mrs. Abbie Hurd Raymond, a former member of the Bellingham school board, an experienced music teacher of many years' standing in this county and an officer of the Washington State Federation of Musical Clubs, past president of the Bellingham Musical Club and one of the best known women in Whatcom county, has been a resident here for more than twenty-five years. She was born in the maritime province of Nova Scotia, in the Dominion of Canada, and was but an infant when her parents, Robert G. and Margaret (Malone) Hurd, came with their family to the United States and settled on a farm in Platte county, Nebraska. In 1900 R. G. Hurd closed out his affairs in Nebraska and came to Whatcom county, where he engaged in the dairy business in association with L. J. Ford. Later he became proprietor of a ranch about four miles out of Bellingham and is now living there. Of the ten children born to him and his wife four still are living, Mrs. Raymond having three sisters, Mrs. L. J. Ford of Bellingham, Mrs. Charles Yule of Bellingham and Miss Irene Hurd of Everett.

Reared in Nebraska, Abbie Hurd early evinced unusual aptitude for musical expression and her studies along that line were directed with care. Her schooling was completed in the Nebraska State Normal School at Fremont and for three years in her home state she was engaged in teaching school. In 1899 she came to Washington and during the following winter was a teacher in the schools of Mt. Vernon, and in October, 1900, married F. R. Raymond. In 1911 Mrs. Raymond began teaching music in Bellingham and has since been thus engaged, the pipe organ and piano being her specialties. For five or six years she was organist in the Broadway Presbyterian church and is now organist of the First Baptist church. During the term 1922-24 she was president of the Bellingham musical Club and is now (1926) first vice president of the Washington State Federation of Musical Clubs, being widely known in musical circles throughout the state.

Mrs. Raymond has three sons, Harold Eugene, Julian Hurd and Fred Randolph Raymond, all of whom attended high school and the two elder finished their studies in the University of Washington. Fred R. Raymond received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1924 but because of a slight visual defect was rejected. Mrs. Raymond is a member of the First Baptist church and of the Twentieth Century Club and is affiliated with the Maple Leaf chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. She has ever given thoughtful attention to local social and cultural affairs and during the term 1920-23 rendered effective public service as a member of the Bellingham school board.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 458.

LEIGH E. ROBINSON

Leigh E. Robinson, one of the foremost educators of northwestern Washington, has to his credit a fine record as principal of the Mount Baker union high school at Deming and for eight years has been the incumbent of this important position. He was born December 23, 1882, and is a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa. His parents, W. A. and Henrietta L. (Bradley) Robinson, were Iowa pioneers, settling in that state in 1863, and the father was a well known contractor of Cedar Falls. Both have passed away.

Leigh E. Robinson prepared for his profession in the Iowa State Teachers College and was graduated with the class of 1904. He first taught at Ridgeway, Iowa, afterward at Craig, Montana, and was later at Palouse and Sunnyside, Washington. He was next in the United States customs service, going first to Seattle, and from 1909 until 1917 was stationed at Blaine, Washington. In the latter year he was made principal of the Lawrence school and in 1918 came to Deming as superintendent of the consolidated district. He was a leading spirit in the project for the building of the new school, which he has made a model institution, and his achievements in this connection have attracted much favorable notice. Mr. Robinson is an experienced educator with a natural talent for the work, and the district was fortunate in securing the services of a man of his keen intelligence and progressive ideas.

The Mount Baker union high school district was formed in December, 1922, and embraces two hundred and twenty-five square miles, extending in a northwesterly direction from the Skagit county line at Wickersham and following the Nooksack river and its branches to a point three miles from Lynden. It comprises the following districts: Wickersham No. 62; Saxon No. 8; Acme No. 69; Blue Mountain No. 70; consolidated No. 321, composed of the old Welcom (sic) and Bell creek districts; consolidated No. 317, consisting of the old Van Zandt district; the Deming and Lawrence districts; Hopewell No. 21; Everson No. 19; and Roeder district No. 38. This is the largest area in the county, and the district contains no incorporated towns.

The new high school building was completed in September, 1925, at a cost of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, and was planned with the object of rendering service to the entire community. It has a well equipped gymnasium and the auditorium will seat seven hundred persons. A night school is maintained for the benefit of workers and the cafeteria is conducted by the advanced home economics class, good meals being furnished at the very moderate price of twenty cents. A landscape gardener was employed to beautify the grounds, which cover fifteen acres, and a tract of three acres has been reserved for demonstration farms, while the athletic field contains a quarter of a mile tract. This institution is maintained with the assistance of the state and federal governments through the enactment of the Smith-Hughes law.  One hundred and eighty-five students are enrolled and pupils are brought to the school in the three district busses, while three busses are also operated from other points. Thorough courses of study are offered in English, science and agriculture and sixteen units are required for graduation. The list of teachers is as follows: P. C. Dickey, instructor in agriculture; Frank Hatley, whose work covers manual training and physical education for boys; Pearl Hutchinson, in charge of the department of home economics; Lucile Manard, teacher of English and Spanish; Mrs. Stella Mennell, instructor in mathematics  and general science; Thelma Myer, who has charge of classes in science and physical education for girls; Bernice Randall, at the head of the commercial department; and Ruth Roberts, who specializes in English and history. All are well qualified for their chosen lines of work, and the school ranks with the best in the state.

In 1911 Mr. Robinson married Miss Christine Bjornson, of Blaine, Washington, and the children of this union are Leigh Edward, Jr., and Phyllis. Mr. Robinson is a republican in his political convictions and is well informed on all matters of public moment. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Eastern star, with which Mrs. Robinson is also affiliated. He is likewise connected with the Knights of Pythias and his wife is one of the Daughters of Rebekah. Aspiring to high ideals of service, he has passed far beyond the ranks of the many, taking his place among the successful few, and his efforts have been directed along steadily broadening lines of greater usefulness.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 497-498.

JOHN SCHNEIDER

Owing to his long connection with the agricultural affairs of the western part of Whatcom county over a long period of years, the name of John Schneider needs no introduction to the readers of this work. In a straightforward, conservative manner he has sought to perform the duties of citizenship while advancing his own interests, and his support has always been depended upon in the furtherance of any laudable movement having for its object the welfare of the general public. John Schneider was born in Switzerland, June 25, 1866, and is a son of Benedict and Mary Schneider, also natives of that country. The father brought his family to the United States in 1872 and for awhile they lived in Knox county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming. Subsequently they moved to Nodaway county, Missouri, where they lived until 1882, when they came to Whatcom county, the father homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land in Delta township, four and a half miles north of Ferndale. Here they developed a good farm and there the parents spent the rest of their lives, the father dying January 14, 1912, and the mother passing away in 1907. When the family came here the land was covered with stumps and brush, which he and his sons were compelled to clear off before the soil could be cultivated, but eventually a fine farm home was developed here. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider had eight children, namely: Mary, deceased; Sanders; Frederick, deceased; Tolena, deceased; John; Godfrey; Mrs. Annie Wilson, who lives in Bellingham; and Mrs. Rosie Wilson, of Delta township.

John Schneider received his education in the public schools of Missouri and went to work, assisting his father, when twelve years of age. Excepting for odd times when he went out to work in order to earn a little extra money, he remained on the home farm until forty years of age. When he was twenty-four years of age he took up a homestead adjoining his father's place, on which he worked at odd times, and he also worked in the timber, getting out logs and bolts for sawmills, to which he hauled the timber with his own teams. In 1883 he built his first house, which bore the distinction of being the first built of sawed lumber in the district. In 1913 it was replaced by a fine modern residence. In 1890 he built a barn, which was greatly enlarged in 1900, and he has made many other substantial improvements on his place, which now ranks among the most valuable farms in this locality. Mr. Schneider keeps sixteen good grade Holstein cows and some young stock, as well as two horses for general farm work. The land is devoted to the raising of hay, grain and root crops. Mr. Schneider is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and of the Grange.

On March 10, 1923, Mr. Schneider was married to Miss Helen Copeman, who was born in Holland, a daughter of George and Jennie (Nyenhins) Copeman, who were lifelong residents of the Netherlands. They were the parents of four children, of whom two are living, Mrs. Schneider and Mrs. Pearl Von Euw, who lives at Lawrence, Whatcom county. Fraternally Mr. Schneider is a member of Ferndale Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Strong mental powers, invincible courage and a determined purpose that hesitates at no opposition have so entered into his composition as to insure his success, and among his fellow farmers he is held in the highest regard. He is interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community and cooperates in all measures for the betterment of local conditions. Because of his estimable qualities of character, he enjoys the unbounded confidence and good will of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 802-803.

HARVEY S. SLADE

The residents of Whatcom county should be proud to accord the greatest esteem to the early pioneers of the county, who amidst hardships and privations blazed the way for succeeding generations and made possible the prosperity and civilization of the present day, for it required bravery, fortitude and the best elements of manhood to enable these early settlers to persevere in their arduous task. The experience of those days can hardly be appreciated by one who has not passed through them. A wilderness, filled with Indians and wild beasts, absence of roads and an entire lack of transportation facilities, settlements few and far between no churches or schools, and the necessity of relying almost entirely upon one's own initiative and resources - these were the conditions that existed for the first comers, and to them is due the highest measure of respect and honor for what they accomplished. Among these old pioneers is Harvey S. Slade, who came here with his parents among the very earliest in this locality, and today he is accounted one of the highly esteemed resident of the community.

Mr. Slade was born in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1860, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Desa) Slade, natives respectively of England and France. William Slade came to the New World at the age of thirteen years, his family settling in Canada, where he was reared to manhood and educated. He was the only member of the family who came to the United States, being one of the early settlers at Port Huron, Michigan. He was a fine mechanic and was employed there until his health became impaired, when he came to California, but not liking conditions there he came to Whatcom county about 1876, and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land. In Detroit he was married to Elizabeth Desa, who was brought here from France in her early girlhood and was reared and educated in that city. When they located in Lynden there were very few families in this locality and they were to a large measure cut off from the outside world.

Harvey S. Slade received his education in the public schools of Port Huron and Bay City, Michigan. He accompanied the family on their removal to Santa Cruz, California, and later to Lynden, Whatcom county, where he devoted himself to the home farm until his father's death, which occurred in 1882. He took an active part in the redemption of the land from its wild condition, which required a vast amount of the hardest sort of work, for the tract land was heavily covered with a dense growth of timber and brush, while a part of it was also covered with water. Among the first efforts after the family came here was the building of the log house which long sheltered them and which is still standing, being one of the best constructed houses of that type in the county. It is related that the house-warming given at this place was one of the biggest events of the kind in the early history of the community.

Two years after coming to Whatcom county, Harvey S. Slade returned to California, where in 1883 he was married to Miss Aliene Ogle, who was born in Ohio, but was taken to California with her parents when she was but nine years old. She was a daughter of R. Ogle, a harness maker, who still lives in Willows, California, his wife now being deceased. Upon his return to Lynden, some time later, Mr. Slade became engaged in freighting, which work he carried on for a number of years, and then embarked in the logging business. He had previously gone into the mines of Skagit county. Later he bought a home at Lynden, where he has resided to the present time. For a number of years he served as a mail carrier.

During the early years Mr. Slade passed through some trying experiences and his reminiscences of that pioneer period are very interesting. In those days it was necessary to bring freight up the Nooksack river in canoes, and their first furniture was thus brought up in a huge canoe made of a cedar log. He conducted a blacksmithing business here for a time and had to bring his coal from Bellingham, at which point they did most of their trading, and it was a full day's journey from their place to Bellingham and back. However, there was one thing that was characteristic of those early days that has in a measure disappeared as the country has become more thickly populated, and that was the spirit of mutual helpfulness which prevailed among the settlers. When a man had something to do that was beyond his own physical ability to handle, his neighbors willingly helped him, for they knew that he would just as cheerfully return the favor; and it was this spirit of cooperation and mutual interest that encouraged many a settler to persevere when otherwise he would have given up the struggle.

To Mr. and Mrs. Slade were born seven children, namely: Theda, who died when she was nine years old; Ray H., who is acting an accountant for the Washington Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association at Lynden, and a personal sketch of whom appears on other pages of this work; Clifton, of Lynden; Kenneth, of Bellingham; Hazel, who died at the age of thirteen years; Douglas, who lives in Seattle; and Mrs. Reba Lindsey, who has one child. Mr. Slade's present place, consisting of forty acres, and on which he has lived since 1902, was originally purchased for the timber that stood on it, but he eventually cleared about twelve acres and created a very comfortable and well improved farmstead. He keeps a few high grade cows and a good flock of laying hens, and he is very comfortably situated. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. Mr. Slade has been active in local public affairs, having been the first city marshal of Lynden, and he also served as constable for many years. He is a man of strong and forceful character and of broad views and sound opinions, and he is held in high regard because of his splendid record and excellent character.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 54-55.

SAMUEL J. TORNEY, M. D.

Dr. Samuel J. Torney, a distinguished member of Bellingham's medical fraternity, has practiced in this city for more than twenty years, and his daily life records the esteem in which he is held. A native of Canada, he was born in Quebec in 1867 and was but three years old when his parents, Thoms and Margaret (MacDowell) Torney, crossed the border into the United States. They were among the early settlers of Iowa and for many years the father followed the occupation of farming in that state.

The public school of Iowa afforded Dr. Torney his early educational advantages, and he afterward attended a seminary at Decorah and a normal school at Cedar Falls. He was next a student in the medical department of the University of Iowa, and in 1896 he won his M. D. degree from the University of Illinois. Returning to Iowa, he located at Stacyville, where he was engaged in general practice for four years. He then went abroad, taking postgraduate work in the medical centers of England, France and Germany, and in 1905 he opened an office in Bellingham. He has since specialized in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and his broad scientific knowledge and marked skill have brought him an extensive practice.

In 1910 Dr. Torney was united in marriage to Miss Edith Neill, of Illinois. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner and is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and with the Kiwanis Club. In his political views he is a republican. He owns a valuable ranch and is very much interested in agricultural pursuits. Throughout his life Dr. Torney has been a student, ever striving to widen his field of usefulness, and his labors have been crowned with successful achievement.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 99-100.

ALBERT ULRICH

It is not strange that the people of the little republic of Switzerland should come to the United States and establish homes, for in many respects our institutions are similar to their own and they do not have as hard a time adjusting themselves here as do emigrants from other countries of Europe. They have been loyal to our institutions and have proven to be splendid citizens in every respect. Thus they have aided us in pushing forward the civilization of the western hemisphere and they have improved the opportunities afforded them here, being people of great energy, tact and thrift. Albert Ulrich was born in Switzerland on the 5th of July, 1883, and is a son of John and Sophie (Fassbind) Ulrich, both still living in their native land. They are the parents of six children, Albert, John, Sophie, Anna, Louise and Mina.

Albert Ulrich received his education in the public schools of his homeland and remained with his parents until December, 1904, when he went to New Zealand and engaged in farming there until 1910, when he came to the United States, locating in Whatcom county. For several years he was employed in logging camps and in 1914 turned his attention to farming, working on farms in this locality until 1918. In March of that year he rented thirty-seven acres of land near Ferndale, to the operation of which he gave his close attention and in 1920 he bought the tract, which was entirely cleared. Here he has been engaged in general farming and dairying and has also leased ten acres of land adjoining his place. His soil is good, he raises bountiful crops of hay and grain and he keeps thirty high graded Holstein cattle and a pure-bred bull. He has been successful in all his operations since going into business on his own account. A hard working man, persevering in his efforts and doing well whatever he undertakes, he has gained an enviable reputation because of his enterprise and progressive spirit.

In August, 1922, Mr. Ulrich returned to Switzerland and, on January 8, 1923, was married to Miss Agatha Menziger, the daughter of Albert and Agatha Menziger, also natives of Switzerland and still living in that country. Mr. and Mrs. Ulrich have one child, martha, born October 15, 1923. Mr. Ulrich is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and takes a deep interest in the affairs of that society. He is a broad-minded, large-hearted man, keenly alive to all that concerns the welfare of the community in which he lives and is courteous and accommodating in his relations with his neighbors, among whom he is held in the highest esteem, for he possesses to a marked degree those qualities of character which commend a man to the good opinion of all who come into contact with him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 595.

JAMES R. VAIL

For many years James R. Vail has been devoted to the service of the government, and as United States immigration inspector at Bellingham he is filling a post of large responsibility. A son of John P. and Sophronia J. (Sisson) Vail, he was born October 20, 1871, in Nobles county, Illinois. His father was a soldier in the Civil war and valiantly defended the Union cause. In 1872 he went to Minnesota and took up a homestead, casting in his lot with the early settlers of that state, where he spent the remainder of his life.

James R. Vail spent his boyhood on his father's farm and received his early instruction in the public schools of Minnesota. He came to Bellingham, July 20, 1897, and afterward attended the University of Washington, spending his summers in this city, and he also took a course in a local business college. In January, 1901, he entered the United States customs service, and for three years he was in eastern Washington, while from 1905 until 1912 he was connected with the customs office at Lynden. He was then sent to Blaine, Washington, and there remained until September 1917, when he was transferred to the immigration department. He was stationed successively at Winnipeg, Canada, St. John, North Dakota, and Vancouver, British Columbia, and since November, 1919, he has had charge of the station at Bellingham. He is very thorough and conscientious in the performance of his duties and his work has been highly satisfactory.

On July 18, 1902, Mr. Vail married Miss Myrtie North, a native of Illinois and a daughter of H. W. and Cornelia (Linderman) North. Her father is a Union veteran and now has charge of the Soldiers Home at Orting, Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Vail were born two children: Lyle, who attended Pullman College and is now residing in Seattle; and Merle, who died in 1923, when fifteen years of age.

Mr. Vail is liberal in his political views and invariably casts his ballot for the man whom he considers best qualified for office, irrespective of party affiliations. He is the owner of twelve attractive cottages situated on Cottonwood beach and from their rental derives a substantial addition to his income. Fidelity to duty is one of the salient traits in his character and his record is an unblemished one.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 87.

ALBERT P. WESTERGREEN

Conspicuous among the representative farmers and dairymen of Whatcom county stands Albert P. Westergreen, of Nooksack township, a man who has not only shown himself a good citizen and able business man, but who gave evidence of his patriotism and loyalty during the troublous days of the World war. Mr. Westergreen was born on the old Westergreen homestead, in section 24, range 4 east, Nooksack township, five and a half miles east of Nooksack, on the 1st of May, 1896, and is a son of Gust and Selma (Soderquist) Westergreen, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The father, who was born in 1864, came to the new world in 1884, first locating in Manitoba, Canada, where he remained but a few months, coming next to Washington, where for a time he was employed on railroads. He spent a summer in the fishing business in Alaska and on his return again worked on the railroad in Whatcom county and was also in the woods for a time in the employ of P. Gillis & Sons. In 1888 he took up a homestead  of one hundred and sixty acres, comprising the land now owned by his son, Albert P. He cleared this land and cultivated it until 1920, when he sold it to our subject and bought eighty acres of land two miles north of Everson, where he is now living. To them were born six children, namely: Mrs. Janet Huntly, Mrs. Freda Larson, Albert P., Willie, Anna and Mrs. Ellen Sealund. Further details of the life of Gust Westergreen will be found in a personal sketch of him which appears on other pages of this work.

Albert P. Westergreen secured his education in the South Pass school, in Nooksack township, and remained at home until October 3, 1917, when he enlisted for service in the World war and was sent to Camp Lewis, Washington. He remained there for eight months and then was sent to Camp Green, North Carolina, where he remained for four months. He was then sent overseas as a member of Hospital Corps No. 30, with which unit he stayed during the entire period of his overseas service. He was at Coblenz, Germany, with the army of occupation and was eventually returned home, being honorably discharged July 3, 1919. Mr. Westergreen bought the old homestead from his father and has since devoted himself closely to its management and operation. He is a thoroughly practical farmer, having been reared to that vocation, and has achieved splendid success since operating on his own account. He keeps twenty-one head of cattle, some of them pure bred, and two good draft horses. He devotes his cultivated land to grain, hay and root crops, and his efforts have been rewarded with bountiful harvests.

Mr. Westergreen was married, January 14, 1920, to Miss Ella Knudson, who was born in Snohomish county, Washington, a daughter of Albert and Nickolina (Steen) Knudson, both of whom were natives of Norway. Her parents came to the United States in 1890, Mr. Knudson homesteading a tract of land at Granite Falls, Snohomish county, Washington, where they lived until 1906, when he sold that place and bought fifty acres in Ten Mile township, Whatcom county, and there his death occurred April 14, 1906. His widow subsequently became the wife of John Gardene. To Mr. and Mrs. Westergreen have been born two children: Richard A., born October 27, 1921; and John Gustav, born July 29, 1924. Mr. Westergreen is a member of the American Legion, belongs to the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and has performed effective and appreciated service as a member of the board of directors of the South Pass school. Personally he is candid and straightforward in all his relations with his fellow citizens, is genial and friendly in his social intercourse and is public-spirited his supported of all measures for the advancement of the community welfare. These commendable qualities have won for him an enviable position in the confidence and good will of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 607-608.

JOHN ZIMMER

John Zimmer is one of the pioneer farmers, dairymen and landowners of Mountain View township, his well kept place being on rural mail route No. 2 out of Ferndale, where he has resided for more than thirty years. He is of European birth but has been a resident of this country since the days of his boyhood. He was born December 26, 1859, on a farm in Austrian Silesia, a crown land and titular duchy, until 1849 attached to Moravia and now a part of the republic of Czecho-Slovakia, and is a son of Ferdinand and Clara (Parsch) Zimmer, the latter of whom died there in 1901. The father came to America following the death of his wife and his last days were spent in Whatcom county. He died in 1912 and is buried in the Mountain View cemetery.

Reared in Austria John Zimmer attended the gymnasium, or high school, and in 1876, when sixteen years of age, came to America and settled on a farm with his uncle in Platt county, Nebraska, where he made his general headquarters until his marriage in 1886, meantime working in Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and Colorado. For a few years after his marriage he was located in Colorado and in 1892 came to Whatcom county. He bought a five acre tract of timber land in Mountain View township, a part of the place on which he is now living, and there established his home, taking onto that place the first two-horse team found on that side of the Ferndale settlement. The highway had not then reached that point and his goods were hauled in by sledge over the old woods trail. Mr. Zimmer cleared that tract and then bought additional land until now he has a well improved place of forty acres, twenty-five acres of which is cleared and under cultivation.  On this place he has a fine cherry orchard of one hundred and sixty trees. His principal attention is given to his dairy operations, with a fine herd of Jerseys, and he is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. Mr. Zimmer has ever given helpful attention to local civic affairs and has rendered public service as a member of the school board in his district. He is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and he and his family are members of the Roman Catholic church.

In July, 1886, at Kearney, Buffalo county, Nebraska, Mr. Zimmer married Miss Pauline Zimmer, a Silesian, born in the same neighborhood as her husband, and who has been a resident of this country since the days of her childhood, her parents, Carl and Paulina (Reisel) Zimmer, having come here with their family in 1880 and settled in Nebraska. Carl Zimmer was a cousin of Ferdinand Zimmer, father of John Zimmer. In his home land he was a hotelkeeper but upon taking up his residence in Nebraska became a farmer and there he and his wife spent their last days. John and Pauline Zimmer have four children: Clara and Nora, at home with their parents; Carl, connected with the operations of the shingle mill in Bellingham, who married Miss Mary McDonald and has a daughter, Mildred; and Roy, who is aiding his father in the work of the home farm.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 812-813.

GEORGE ZURN

There are few farmers of western Whatcom county who have met with more encouraging success than has George Zurn, one of those strong, sturdy characters who have contributed so largely to the material growth of the locality in which he resides. He is a progressive and up-to-date farmer, and as a public-spirited and enterprising citizen he has been an important factor in promoting the development of his section of the county. Mr. Zurn was born in Germany in 1875 and is a son of George and Margaret (Andres) Zurn, both also natives of Germany, whence they came to the United States and located in Iowa about 1893. The mother died in Whatcom county in 1924. The father was a carpenter and followed his trade until 1908. Our subject is indebted to the public schools of his native land for the major portion of his education, though he also attended night school after coming to Iowa. He remained in Iowa until 1900, when he came to Lynden, Whatcom county, and was here engaged in carpenter work until 1908, in which year he bought his present farm of twenty-five acres. The place contained a small orchard, but otherwise the land was uncleared, the removal of the timber and brush being undertaken by Mr. Zurn after he moved onto the land. He now has about fifteen acres of the land cleared and is devoting his main attention to poultry farming, in which he has met with very encouraging success. He keeps about one thousand laying hens, for which he has well built houses, and also gives some attention to dairying, keeping a number of good milk cows, as well as to the raising of fruit, his orchard being in good bearing condition. A carpenter by trade, he put his knowledge of structural work to good use, and practically all the buildings on the place were built by him, all of them being substantial, well arranged and up-to-date.

On April 10, 1904, Mr. Zurn was married to Miss Anna Peters, who was born in Germany, a daughter of John and Henrietta (Rambach) Peters, the former of whom died in November, 1906. Mrs. Zurn's mother, who also was a native of Germany, came to the United States and located in Nebraska. She came to Whatcom county at the same time the subject came here, and she is now living in Ten Mile. Mr. Zurn is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. Whatever success he has attained has been owing entirely to his individual efforts, his energy and natural ability. From a small beginning he has gradually attained well merited prominence in his adopted country, which entitles him to the high esteem which he enjoys among his neighbors, all of whom repose in him the utmost confidence.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 276.

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